Even in Death
by destinoscelgo
Summary: The second installment to Because of You. Elena is handling her transition as well as she can, but will Elijah's guilt push her to go off the deep end? There are two parts to this story. Rated M for Part Two
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is the second installment, following the story Because of You. _

_As of right now, my intentions are for this story to be a lot longer, and also where BoY was in Elena's POV, Even in Death will be in third person since there will be so much more going on._

_Just a note, this is an AU story, but I did a few things that happened in the show with a little twist. You'll also see just how Elijah feels about this transition for Elena. *spoiler* This is not what he wanted for her at all._

_You'll have to read on to find out the rest! This will be fun =)_

_Please review! Let me know what you think!_

* * *

_**If there are flaws they are in ourselves, and our task therefore must be one not of redesign but of renewal and reaffirmation, especially of the standards in which all of us believe.  
**__**Elliot Richardson**_

* * *

_Prologue ~Renewal~_

Elijah struggled to stay awake as he watched Elena lay before him.

Dead.

He wanted to mourn her.

He wanted to remember, the life she had was so precious, yet he had ended it, at her demand of course, but still at his hands.

"Try not to feel so guilty." Elena's voice grumbled, or so he thought at first.

"Katerina. Is Elena all right?"

The vampire nodded, holding her head in her hands over Elena's lifeless body. She has been out for an entire day, confirming Elijah's concerns. His Original blood will make it difficult for her to transition.

Katherine was silent again, visiting Elena in her dream.

Elijah couldn't be guilt free until Elena completed her transition. He wanted to feed, he had multiple blood bags next to him, but his newborn vampire would need them more.

He could feel the sun begin to rise, so he carefully slipped a daylight necklace around her neck. He had his witch friend Alma, create it before her coven began fighting Klaus' forcefields.

He watched her carefully, when suddenly, Elena's eyes shot open. She sat up with a start, eyeing her surroundings, confused.

"Good morning." He spoke, relieved to see Katerina had gone and Elena was safe…sort of.

Elijah had first expected to see nothing but blind hunger in her eyes, causing him to shiver at the thought of what that hunger could do to someone as precious as her. Instead, she seemed…elated first, confused next, then the hunger hit. He could see it in her eyes.

Quietly Elijah handed her a blood bag, a weak smile crossing his lips. He was so tired, but Elena came first, always.

"Please drink. It has been a long few days."

_Please finish the transition._

The Original vampire silently begged. He couldn't go through this all over again.

* * *

The opposite generations of vampire sat in the garden of Elijah's own personal getaway. He patiently waited for Elena to finish the remaining two bags of blood dry.

She noticed him close his eyes, she could hear him sigh of relief as he leaned against the tree behind him.

"You didn't drink…" she realized, her mind now much clearer than before. She was hurt. "Why didn't you say anything?" Elijah eyed her cautiously, wondering if now was the best time to give her some heartbreaking news.

"How do you feel" he deflected. He knew he would be all right for a few more hours. He was going to bring Elena inside soon anyway.

"I'm fine." She snapped standing up, she cringed when she caught her tone towards him.

"Elijah, you need to feed."

_Always the compassionate one. At least that hasn't changed._

"First Elena, please sit back down."

Elena could feel the wavering in his voice as he gestured next to him.

_She had never been able to feel others emotions before. It must be a blood thing_ she reasoned.

"What's wrong Elijah? Are we not safe? Did Klaus hurt my family?"

"No, Klaus believes you are dead and one of the Salvatores took your body away. We are safe here as long as my shields remain."

Elena could tell something was digging at him.

Did her friends believe she was dead? What had happened while she was gone?

"Is everyone all right?" she asked again, more impatiently.

Elijah didn't want to hide it from her any longer, but he was worried as to how she would handle it. Every vampire handles pain differently, but at this young, there was no way to tell.

"Elena…" he held her hand, "Katerina is on her way to tell your friends of your current situation. She has been compelled to only tell Stefan, so Klaus will not find out. Him and Damon will be here soon, I just wanted to make sure I told you something first…"

Elijah's perfect, normally velvety voice cracked. This was the last thing he wanted to tell her.

"What is it Elijah? What's happened?"

Elijah pulled her closer and whispered just soft enough so they could hear, his voice breaking at the thought of her impending pain.

"Before Klaus took you away, he killed Alaric."


	2. Safe

_**The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.  
**__**Maya Angelou**_

* * *

_Chapter One ~Safe~_

_The next day_

Elena was tired of blood bags already.

She felt nothing but the urge to hunt.

She needed to hunt.

Elijah had told her the urges would be much more powerful, and until adjusted, much harder to deal with, due to the purity of his blood, but that didn't change how she felt.

It didn't make her feel any better.

Only Stefan and Damon came to visit her today. Elijah figured having anyone else would be too much for her to handle.

He was right.

It pained Elena to admit it, but so much as the thought of a human made her want to rip someone's throat out.

The Salvatores were uneasy being near Elena at first. When Katherine told them the truth, Klaus had already delivered his condolences.

The brothers had grieved for their friend, for their love.

They didn't trust Elijah one bit, and when they were told of her transformation they became resentful.

He stole her life away. It was not something Elena would have wanted.

When they arrived, they were unsure of how to act around her. They wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right, but they did not believe that to be the truth.

"She is all right." Elijah reassured them. "It is going to take a bit longer than normal."

Damon approached the newborn vampire with caution, walking directly in front of her as she sat on the floor. He didn't want her to panic. He had heard rumors that those changed with Original blood were far stronger than those changed by "normal" vampires.

"Hey Elena… You'll be all right. We are all here." His expression dropped when she instantly looked to Elijah as if to ask _Will it?_

She was unsure.

"Elena, it's okay." The Original approached her, unafraid and helped her off of the floor into a chair.

Damon could see how Elijah was doing everything in his power to hide his pained expression.

_How could he do this to her?_

"I-I know." She stammered, looking around frantically. It was as if she was seeing the world in a brand new light. She would see the horrible ugliness and the beauty of it as well.

She was overwhelmed.

The pair seemed to have a silent conversation for a moment, and Elijah went to retrieve her a blood bag, while offering to the brothers as well.

Damon of course accepted greedily.

"How do you feel?" Stefan asked her, eyeing Elijah suspiciously.

Elena looked to him, her chocolate eyes now black and surrounded by veins with blood lust looking scared, and still confused. She was still fuzzy after being dead.

"I feel hungry" she grumbled as she drained the last bit of the bag.

Stefan smiled at her sharp response. Under the newborn vampire exterior, she was still Elena.

"Are you sure this is where you want to stay?" Damon asked her, placing his hand on hers.

He had expected her to consider her options for a moment, but instead she responded quickly and without missing a beat.

"I am safest here."

She looked back at Elijah, silently asking for him to continue.

_When did these two get so close?_ Damon wondered, slightly angry with the realization.

"I have protective walls against this house. Nobody can enter unless I…or Elena allow them. Klaus and all hybrids, regardless of invitation are banned from here." He explained, his voice more powerful, more exact than before. "As far as Klaus knows, Elena is dead. I have every intention on keeping it that way until I find a way to keep her family and friends safe from his wrath."

He looked directly at Damon when he said this, as if telling him

_That means leave my sister in the dark Salvatore._

Damon had no intention on telling Rebekah, but he wasn't even worried about that. He was paying close attention to Elijah's words.

"_I have to do this. I will find a way"_

Damon couldn't help but consider he was putting all of the weight on his shoulders.

Elijah was taking full responsibility for his actions.

_There goes the Original honorable one._ Damon laughed.

* * *

The vampires talked for a while, Elijah standing protective of Elena against the wall, while the other three vampires sat at the table.

Elena however, could not sit still.

She wouldn't stop fidgeting.

"Elena, honeys are you okay? Damon asked, noting her discomfort.

He knew all too well what it was like to be changed against your will.

Even if he was taking responsibility for her, he still hated Elijah for the fact that it was done in the first place.

Elena nodded slowly, a thought festering in her mind now that the immediate blood lust was over.

"Alaric." She whispered, "Do you know what happened?"

She looked to the Salvatores for answers this time while Elijah shifted uncomfortably against the wall. He had recalled how she barely reacted to the bad news. She was more concerned about feeding. The old Elena would have grieved instantly, she would have cried for him. She would have demanded answers right away. The thought of how different she may have become sent a pain to his heart.

He still had time to help her.

"He was found in the woods with his ring next to his body. Somebody had removed it before killing him." Stefan answered, his voice was grave, while finally, to Elijah's concern, Elena choked back a tear.

_There is still hope_

Elena wanted to burst into tears; she wanted to scream at the brothers for not protecting him.

She wanted to scream at Elijah for distracting her from wondering where he had been.

Worst of all, she blamed herself.

This was all her fault.

Compartmentalizing has always been Elijah's forte, she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold it in for that long.

* * *

_**Please review =)**_


	3. Time

_A/N I hope I'm not butchering this LOL, writing like this is a little bit out of my style and I'm trying to keep it more in line with Because of You. Not so sure how this is working out for me though. For those that haven't noticed, the first few chapters are going to be more explanatory than anything, soon the story will pick up and *hopefully* be not as sucky_

_Thanks for reading and please review!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or it's characters._

* * *

"_**People parted, years passed, they met again- and the meeting proved no reunion, offered no warm memories, only the acid knowledge that time had passed and things weren't as bright or attractive as they had been."  
― Jacqueline Susann, **__**Valley of the Dolls**_

* * *

_Chapter Two ~Time~_

_Eight Months Later_

Elena had almost allowed her guilt to consume her over the past eight months following Alaric's death.

In that time she had moved her things into Elijah's home, using it for it's safety and for the sense of tranquility. Jeremy was away at a boarding school in Denver, and she couldn't bare to look at the house she grew up in anymore. All it held were the memories of death, her parents, Aunt Jenna, Uncle Jon, and now Alaric.

Naturally she couldn't forget about her own death, which is a memory she would never shake.

* * *

Of course for a while, Klaus had stayed out of Mystic Falls.

He had no hope there, no doppelganger.

He wanted to give up, which was very unlike him, until one day, his hybrid Tara told him of Elena Gilbert, who was a newborn vampire now.

_Elijah_

Anger boiled through his body, but the only person he could blame was his brother.

He had betrayed him.

For once, Elijah was one step ahead of him.

_Good job brother._

_Now, about that doppelganger._

* * *

Elijah had promised Elena her space, even though she never actually asked for it.

He just knew.

The Original battled daily with himself. His own guilt could be overwhelming.

There were times that he couldn't even look at her.

It was never out of hatred, but the look in her eyes as she fed from a blood bag was tormenting him.

_She never wanted this._

He had turned her for his own gain.

He used her to save his family, he hurt her again.

_Isn't this why I left in the first place?_

It seemed to him they had gone full circle now, repeating events of their past.

Why had he allowed himself to give in, and believe that being a vampire was what she truly wanted?

Elena never wanted to be a vampire. He recalled all too well the screams when Damon forced his blood down her throat some time before the sacrifice was to occur.

_I want my love for you to be my last. Always, and forever_

She had spoken such powerful words then, he couldn't help but smile as he recalled them.

He hadn't realized it until now, Elena wanted to be turned because she did not want to lose him.

_She did not want me to visit her only in her dreams._

He sighed, Elijah knew better, he should have expected as much from Elena Gilbert.

_She was always the martyr._

He couldn't deny his feelings, he was happy that she decided to stay with him.

Not only would Elena be safe, but she could be at peace here.

She could be with him.

Regardless of the feelings Elijah truly felt for her, the guilt still rang too strong.

* * *

They managed to barely exchange words on most days. Once she was adjusted to the vampire life, Elena felt more comfortable going into the nearby town to shop alone.

As long as she avoided Mystic Falls like the plague.

Elena had picked up on the new behavior with Elijah. Where he had originally put off his emotions to help her through her transition, now he was cold and distant. It was as though he was avoiding her.

Each time she would return, he would find some excuse to leave her to her own thoughts.

"Elijah." Elena sat across the table from him as he read a book one morning. He looked up from the page, but didn't say a word.

_Does he even see me here?_

"Do you…want me to leave?"

Elijah lifted his eyebrows, gazing at her carefully as he placed a mark in his book, placing it carefully on the table.

_Everything Elijah did was done with care…except dealing with me._

Elena hadn't realized when she became something that needed "dealing with". She had to remind herself she was no child.

"What makes you think that I would want that?" He avoided answering her.

_No I don't, but I want you to be happy_ is what he should have said, but they words couldn't come out.

Elena shook her head frantically.

"I don't know, since I've turned, these past eight months you barely look at me. "She made sure to choose her words carefully even though she wanted to scream.

_You told me you loved me. Now you seem to hate me!_

"I feel like…you regret turning me."

Elijah gave her a half smile, and stood from his chair.

"Elena, all I want is your happiness. It was rash, and selfish for me to turn you." He approached her, reaching his hand out to touch her face.

"I wanted you to live your life. Never once did I actually want you to stay as an eighteen year old vampire girl forever."

Elena frowned.

_This is his own way of answering me, he does regret it._

When she had told him to turn him, she never once considered his own moral consequences.  
She didn't think too much on his feelings at all.

_I want you to remain human Elena. That is what is most important to me._

She recalled him saying.

"_You know I will love you until the end of time, regardless."_

She couldn't help but wonder if that was his way of begging her to change her mind.

"Elijah…I-" she began, but he stopped her as he took a step back, his barriers up once again.

"This is not your fault. It will be in your best interest to keep that in mind." He smiled at her, more fondly this time, but Elena could see his distaste.

It may not be her he had an issue with, but what she had become bothered him to no end.

"Either way, I have some business to attend to out of town. I will be gone for the weekend" he explained, now avoiding her gaze.

"If you wish to leave Elena, I understand. Please do not allow my feelings to cloud your judgment. You are no prisoner here."

_What is __that__ supposed to mean? _Elena thought as she watched Elijah turn and exit the room.

She never got to see the pained expression on his face.

Elena spent her first day alone undecided. She didn't want to leave, but she could see Elijah's pain.

She didn't want to tell him this, but she could feel it as well.

_It's not fair to him. He shouldn't have to live with this._

She reasoned with herself, but something held her back from packing her things.

Fear?

She wasn't so sure.

Elena decided to invite Caroline and Bonnie over, some girl time may do her some good.

"Sure Elena! We'll be over soon!" Caroline responded to her text message, not disguising her excitement.

She hadn't told her friends about her feelings for the Original vampire, she had always intended on keeping them In the dark, at least until she could speak to Elijah about it as well.

This secret was hers, and sometimes she felt like it was hers and hers alone, since he never acted on his affections, preferring to look at her like an unwanted sibling instead.

It was tearing her apart.

* * *

Elijah had returned to Mystic Falls.

He drove past the old, empty Gilbert home remembering how Jeremy being away in Denver gave Elena less of a reason to return home.

_Had she lost everything because of me?_

He wondered what he had done to her, she still seemed to carry her compassion, her fire, and of course Elena will always be a martyr.

What that what makes Elena…Elena?

"Elijah."

The Original turned to see Stefan, the younger Salvatore, standing by his car while it was stopped at a red light. He nodded, acknowledging him, and pulled to the side of the road.

"What are you doing here?" he seemed nervous, wondering if something had happened to Elena.

Elijah motioned for him to get into the car without saying a word. He was heading to their house anyway.

When he pulled in front of the Salvatore manor, Stefan asked,

"Is Elena all right?"

Elijah only nodded, remaining mysterious as they walked into the house.

"Where is Damon?" he asked looking around.

"Not here right now." Stefan replied sharply. He wanted to get to the point.

"Is your brother still courting my sister?" Elijah hadn't spoken to Rebekah since before he left. He never included either sibling in his plot against Klaus.

His sister's rage would set her on a path to kill him, while Kol would go on his own path of destruction, costing the lives of many innocent people.

Stefan shrugged his shoulders.,

"Things have been a bit tense here." He let the words _since you took Elena from us _ hang in the air.

Elijah didn't have the heart to tell him that she had asked him to change her, he didn't want to destroy the image they have of her.

"So Elijah, why are you here?" he asked

Elijah leaned against the wall, all while keeping his stoic posture.

"Have you heard from my brother?" he searched the younger vampire's face for any signs of compulsion while he waited for a response.

"We did, when Elena first died. You knew that though."

Elijah was relieved he hadn't told anyone the second she died that she was going through the transition. His response would have been genuine then.

That was what he had hoped for.

"So…otherwise you have no idea where he is." He stated it more as a fact than a question.

Stefan nodded, sitting on the couch.

"What does this have to do with you being here?" You've done a good job avoiding us so far." His hands balled into fists as he continued. "You…and Elena."

* * *

Elena bounded down the stairs at the sound of the doorbell.

"Hey Elena!" Carline stood in the archway as she opened the door. Bonnie was next to her with a huge grin across her face.

"I brought Dirty Dancing!" she smiled

The girls sat in the living room of Elijah's mansion, watching the movie while munching on popcorn.

"So where is Mr Tall Dark and Brooding Elena?" Caroline asked, not caring about crossing any boundries.

Elena faked a smile, she was still debating on spilling her guts about her entire situation.

"he had some business to take care of out of town. He told me he will be gone for the weekend." Her words cut dry, defying her original happy tone.

"What's wrong? Trouble in paradise?" The blonde vampire questioned.

Elena looked to Bonnie for assistance, but her friend remained silent.

With a sigh, Elena figured it was pointless to keep it all inside.

"We aren't…together Care. We sleep on opposite floors of the house, we barely ever speak, it's strange."

"Well…it is Elijah, what did you honestly expect?"

Elena had forgotten she never told her friends of their "relationship" or whatever it had been.

She never told them about her dreams, those special moments the two of them had shared together.

_I am here now because I found it was not possible for me to go back to the times when I had not known you._

He had told her that, not even a year ago. How had things gone so crazy?

The two dream visits?

The overpowering kiss that ultimately ended her life?

_He told me he loved me._

"Elena…are you okay?" It was Bonnie, snapping her from her thoughts.

Elena shook them off and smiled.

"Yeah sorry!"

"You are lying." Caroline pointed out bluntly, while receiving a sharp look from Bonnie.

Elena knew she had to spill, but this was supposed to be her secret.

_It should be Elijah's too…_

"I feel like he regrets turning me." She spoke after a few minutes of watching the movie.

"I am sure that's not true Elena. Doing so saved his family's lives." Caroline said as Bonnie said cooly,

"He should."

"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed.

"No…it's okay Care." Elena reasoned. She looked to her friends with pleading eyes.

"Care, you and I both know that Elena never wanted this. What Elijah did was elfish. Just like everything else he has done." Bonnie's voice was firm.

Elena hadn't realized it at first, but Bonnie felt guilty too. She had told Elijah where she was.

"No Bonnie…you don't know the whole story…"

She couldn't allow her friend to feel guilty any longer.

"I asked Elijah to turn me. I practically begged him to do it." Her voice broke.

Soon, tears began to fall as she put her head in her hands.

"I begged him to turn me and in return he told me he loved me. He never wanted this for me. He begged me to choose otherwise, but I wouldn't do it. I couldn't be without him."

* * *

Elijah had to explain his actions, but he knew they weren't his actions alone to explain. He didn't want the Salvatores to get the wrong impression of Elena, what they thought of him didn't matter, so he would have to tread carefully.

"I need to have a conversation with you…in reference to Elena." Stefan noticed Elijah's tone was especially icy. He stood, preparing for the worst.

"Go on…"Stefan stood against the opposite wall, waiting for that final ball to drop.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading =) Please review!**_


	4. Guilt

"_**When you are guilty, it is not your sins you hate but yourself."  
― Anthony de Mello, **__**One Minute Wisdom**_

* * *

_Chapter Three _

_Guilt_

Elijah paused, unsure if he should continue.

"I didn't want to take Elena away from her friends."

Stefan didn't buy it, however he concealed his look of discontent. Elijah however, having gone one thousand years people watching, caught the subtle expression.

"Allow me to be honest Salvatore." The Original vampire spoke, his voice carrying strong, "I am not here to ask you for your forgiveness. Where I am not pleased with my actions, they are done. You can keep your hatred for me bottled up for Elena's sake, or you could come at me. It does not matter. I am here to guarantee Elena's safety with you." The Original vampire spat the words, approaching Stefan.

"What are you talking about? You cannot guarantee her safety at all. You killed her." Stefan was angry. "You turned her!"

The younger vampire took a step forward, first, ready to challenge the Original, then rested on his left foot to relax as Elijah got closer. He was ready to accept the challenge, whether it be keeping Elena safe, or fighting Elijah.

"Now, before you go jumping the gun here…"Elijah stepped to the side, and back a few steps. He needed their help, so he needed to tell them the truth. Elena would understand.

"Elena is not someone's humanity I would toss away so easily. She wanted this."

Stefan's eyes widened. It was out of Elijah's character to lie, especially about Elena.

He couldn't imagine Elena asking to be turned, unless something much larger were at stake.

"She wouldn't do that, unless you threatened the people she cares about." He spoke with conviction, now getting angrier at Elijah.

The Original chuckled slightly, pointing his finger in the air, as a gesture Stefan had come to learn meant a story was to be told.

"You see, It wasn't me who threatened her friends."

_Klaus _Stefan realized.

"I went to extreme measures to protect Elena. I threatened to _rip her heart out_ if I so much as saw her." Elijah went on to explain, " My brother intended to kill her and all of his siblings. He intended on breaking his need of a doppelganger, making him unstoppable. "

Stefan realized, without the doppelganger, nothing would stop him from ending the lives of all of Elena's friends and family. It all began to make sense.

"So…that's why he took her." He deducted aloud, everything falling into place now.

Of course, Elijah had left out how he told Elena he loved her.

_He still meant every word_

"Yes. What I did to Elena was irresponsible, rash and horribly selfish. You and I both know how much she did not want this. I regret what I did to her, I wish I had allowed Nicklaus to do his spell and kill us all…but at the same time, I could never allow it to happen, knowing the ultimate outcome." Stefan could hear Elijah's tone shift from threatening to regretful.

"So why are you telling me this?" he asked, still unsure.

"I am afraid I have made Elena feel rather, uncomfortable at my home. She feels it is her I hate. That is not true, sadly it seems my regret for my actions still shows."

_Yet here, I thought they were running away in love_ Stefan thought, not being able to help the enjoyment he felt of Elijah's pain.

"I gave Elena a choice. If she chooses to leave, I will trust you to keep her safe from Nicklaus."

_Oh how he wished she wouldn't leave._

* * *

_"I begged him to turn me, and in return he told me he loved me. He didn't want this for me."_

Bonnie and Caroline stared at their friend in awe.

_That explains everything!_ Both girls thought, but only Caroline said it aloud.

"Elijah doesn't hate you Elena." She was excited now after hearing this new gossip. "He hates himself for turning you. He is probably afraid for you!"

Elena considered this for a moment, but brushed it off.

"He told me it was my decision if I wanted to leave or not. I-I don't know what to do." Her voice broke, while Bonnie placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think he wants you to go?" she asked her friend.

Elena shrugged, she had no idea what he truly wanted. He had deflected answering the question.

She knew Elijah was too polite to kick her out, but he would never tell her the truth if he did want her gone.

"Maybe I should leave." She decided finally, "Elijah would never tell me if he wanted me to leave. I feel bad staying here."

"Where will you go?" Caroline asked, looking sad for her friend. She wanted her friend to come home to Mystic Falls but with Klaus around it wasn't safe.

Elena shrugged.

"I don't think I'm ready to go home. Too much has happened and as long as Klaus is around it is too dangerous."

Did she even want to go home?

"Maybe I need to go on a walk about." She decided. "Maybe that will help clear my head."

Bonnie nodded in agreement, secretly she wanted Elena far away from Elijah. When the witch wasn't blaming herself for her best friend turning she continued to blame the Original vampire who managed to manipulate Elena too many times to count.

"How do you think Elijah will feel about this" Caroline asked. Secretly she thought he was good for Elena. As long as she stayed away from Damon all was well in the world. Elijah in a way, could be better than Stefan, always distant, but right there when she needed him.

_Always and forever after all _, the blonde sighed with jealousy.

"I don't know. What I do know is he will respect my decision."

_That's all that matters…right?_

The trio hadn't even noticed the movie was over they were all so deep in thought.

Bonnie had wanted Elena to go, she felt the space from Elijah would do her some good.

Caroline on the other hand, thought Elena should just confess her unspoken feelings for the Original already and get on with it.

Caroline was always the hopeless romantic.

The blonde vampire's phone buzzed just at the perfect time giving the girls the cue to leave. She got up to check it while Bonnie grabbed her things to see it was a text message from Stefan.

_Elijah is here, where are you?_ It read. Caroline wondered why Elijah would lie to Elena, and wanted to tell her friend, but she was in a tough spot right now as is. Elijah had a reason for everything he did.

As Bonnie got ready to go, she passed a longing look to her friend and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay Bon. I think I am going to take that walk about…tonight." She said as she returned the hug, smiling again as they broke apart.

Elena knew she needed time to herself, she just didn't want to hurt Elijah in the process.

Caroline however, expressed her distaste of the plan as Bonnie waited in the car.

"You can't do that to Elijah!" she scolded her friend.

"Care, you know I need this. Try not to worry too much okay?"

Caroline smiled, knowing she couldn't argue this one.

"Just be safe okay?" She gave Elena a hug and ran to the car. As Elena watched her friends drive off, she wondered if she was doing the right thing.

_He told me he loved me, yet he doesn't show it._ She reasoned with herself, _He told me always and forever._

Elena ran to her bedroom and grabbed his first letter from her drawer, holding it close to her heart.

She knew that he would hurt, but he would also understand.

Quickly Elena packed a few items of clothing and some blood bags. Deep down she knew it was dangerous to go by herself, but bringing someone along would only defeat the purpose.

Elena left, driving off into the night with her sad goodbyes that she never got to say to Elijah still trapped in her throat.

_It's best this way._

* * *

_**Please review =)**  
_


	5. Heartless

_A/N Things are finally starting to pick up a bit here =)  
_

_Let me know what you think in the reviews =)  
_

_Disclaimer- I do not own Vampire Diaries or it's characters_

* * *

_**Love, with very young people, is a heartless business. We drink at that age from thirst, or to get drunk; it is only later in life that we occupy ourselves with the individuality of our wine.  
**__**Isak Dinesen**_

* * *

_Chapter Four_

_Heartless_

"I am going to tear my brother apart limb from bloody limb!" Klaus slammed his fist down on the table, almost breaking it in half.

_And I will enjoy every single second of it_

The hybrid had just received a phone call from his witch friend, confirming Tara's discovery about Elena being a vampire, but they could not point a location on her. There were shields protecting her location.

Klaus was not entirely surprised by Elijah turning his doppelganger. He always knew his brother had a soft spot for her, but his ego still suffered knowing that Elijah would do this.

_Even if I did want him dead._

"Nic, you shouldn't let Elijah get to you." Rebekah spoke softly while Klaus shot her a glare. The sister was hurt as well, Damon would have known if Elena was a vampire and yet he hid it from her.

"You should pay a visit to the Salvatores brother. Damon seems to be hiding something." She leaked a slight, devious smile.

Klaus knew they had to be involved, the two would do anything to save their precious Elena.

Without a word to his sister, Klaus got up and called to three of his hybrids, who were waiting patiently outside of the house.

"We have to pay some old friends a visit" he smiled.

_I will find you Elena_

* * *

Bonnie drove in silence, Elena's words still playing in her mind, while Caroline was playing with her cell phone.

_How could she fall for yet another vampire?_ She thought angrily, _As if she didn't learn the first time, and not only that, but this one is an Original!_

She was happy Elena decided to leave, her friend needed to be as far away from other vampires as possible. Maybe by the time she came back she would be all right.

"We should stop by Stefan and Damon's" Caroline suggested, still playing with her cell phone.

"Why would we do that?" Bonnie had enough of vampires today.

"Well…Elijah is there, and one, that usually means bad things are about to happen, two, I want to know why he lied to Elena about being 'out of town', and three, we should tell him about her leaving. He has a right to know."

Bonnie nodded, regretfully in agreement, and took the next turn to the Salvatore home.

Their conversation with Elena was still tugging at the witch's mind.

_I begged him to turn me_

It was as if she was trying to make her feel less guilty, but it didn't help like it should have.

_I could have saved you. I could have figured something out, yet you followed Elijah instead._

Bonnie turned onto the Salvatore's street, and soon pulled up to the manor.

_I am going to have a chat with a certain Original._ She thought as she got out of the car, Caroline following suit.

"Wait," Caroline put her hand on Bonnie's wrist. "Something doesn't feel right…"

Bonnie reached out her senses and nodded, someone was watching them.

"Come on, let's go." The two girls ran to the door, Bonnie brushing off the feeling as best as she could.

"Oh how nice of you to join the party" Damon opened the door as the girls approached. "Seems as if I wasn't invited."

* * *

Caroline had almost forgotten that they had intentionally left Damon out of anything that had come to Elena after he found out she was a vampire. He hadn't handled her transition very well at all, practically threatening to rip Elijah's heart out himself. He had no idea she had been willing. She wasn't about to tell him either, in case he decided to run and tell Rebekah out of anger.

The blonde smiled sheepishly at Damon as her and Bonnie walked through the threshold. She examined the room to see Elijah, who she now saw in a different light, leaning casually against the wall.

_Who knew someone like him was capable of loving someone else._

She wanted to yell at him for giving Elena the proverbial cold shoulder. She blamed him for why she left, but when she glanced at Bonnie, she saw a different kind of fire in her friend's eyes. She looked so angry with him, probably for using her to find Elena, but at the same time she was unable to hide her own guilt.

"You lied to us." The witch spoke, her voice emanating with power. She was preparing for a fight. "You used me. You had planned this all along didn't you?"

Stefan glanced at Damon, then to Elijah, who had stepped towards Bonnie.

"Bonnie, all I asked was for you to find Elena. If I allowed Elena to die, Klaus would have become unstoppable with nothing to hold him back from killing everyone Elena ever cared for."

He spoke with confidence, but that was always like Elijah. He always seemed to know so much more than anyone else around. After one thousand years walking the earth, it was to be expected.

"If you think for one second I wanted that to happen to her, you are sadly mistaken."

Bonnie watched the Original carefully as she spoke her next words, trying to keep herself calm. Elena seemed to truly care for this vampire, for whatever reason that was.

"She turned to save you. I hope you are aware."

Damon stared at Bonnie, looking angry. This was yet another thing they neglected to tell him.

"What is she talking about? Stefan?" He had now stepped between the witch and the Original vampire, breaking their deadly eye contact and looked to his brother for an answer.

"Elena told us about the spell Elijah." Caroline answered Damon's question, still talking to Elijah. "She told us she practically begged you to turn her." The young vampire's voice rose as Bonnie looked on, carefully studying the Original. Caroline could see the same thing her friend did.

_Was that…pain?_ She saw his eyes avert to the ground, Elena wasn't being dramatic, Elijah felt horrible for what he did. It was no wonder he had issues being around her.

"She also told us what you said to her." Bonnie stepped passed Damon, who was arguing with Stefan now. The witch could see Elijah's pain as clear as day. The usually stoic and mysterious vampire was tearing himself apart.

_He really does love her._

Caroline stepped next to Bonnie, about to gang up on him.

"You have made Elena feel unwelcome" her tone was harsh and accusing. "You made her feel so horrible about what she made you do, that she left."

All three vampires now turned their attention to Caroline, their eyes widened with fear.

"Well now, here all this time I thought I would have to pry it out of you." A voice came from behind them.

Caroline turned around, noticing Elijah regaining his composure, first taking a step back, then one step forward, regaining his ground.

"Brother."

* * *

Elena was unsure of her first stop, but she soon decided on visiting Jeremy, who she hasn't seen in almost a year, but he knew of her current situation. They have only had a few conversations on the phone since she has turned.

She couldn't blame him for being unhappy with her becoming a vampire, but there was nothing that he could do about that.

What's done is done.

She chose not to call first, figuring a surprise visit would be best. She also didn't want him to call any of her friends, just in case.

Elena took a deep breath as she pulled onto the highway, her nerves ringing through her body. Stefan wasn't kidding when he said a vampire's emotions are amplified, and she had a long drive ahead of her.

* * *

Klaus' savage smile stopped everyone in their tracks. He looked to his two companions, the other waiting outside, and patted them on the back.

"Subdue the witch."

The two hybrids moved before Bonnie could react, knocking Caroline out of the way and grabbing the witch, rendering her unconscious.

Damon and Stefan started towards Klaus, but the Original hybrid moved too fast, running across the room, after Elijah.

"Didn't think this far ahead did you brother?" he growled. Klaus laughed as he forced his hand into Elijah's chest.

"Déjà vu brother?" he smiled getting closer to his brother's face and Elijah screamed in pain.

Klaus turned to the brothers, who were ready to rush him , and spoke coolly.

"Now now, move another inch and I rip his heart out. You don't want that do you?"

The Salvatore brothers stopped in their tracks, wondering what Elena would do to them if they allowed Klaus to rip out his heart.

All the while, Damon wasn't so sure if he was going to let her feelings stop him.

"Brother…why would you do that to me? You have betrayed me." Klaus pouted facetiously, tightening his grip on his elder brother's heart, smiling as Elijah let out another scream.

Caroline had her hands full; trying to make sure her witch friend was okay, while also fending off two hybrids. Damon would have preferred to watch Elijah suffer, but moved in, leaving Stefan to deal with that problem.

Just in time, the elder Salvatore body checked one hybrid out of the way, and went to the other, breaking it's neck. Caroline was about to stand up, but Damon stopped her, pushing his hand through the hybrid's chest, ripping out the heart. He sped to the other side, and did the same to the remaining hybrid.

"You okay?" he asked, helping Caroline up from the floor.

She nodded, but quickly pointed to Bonnie who was coming to.

The witch could hear Elijah scream in agony as she hopped to her feet, allowing her power to keep her moving.

"Bon…are you..?" Caroline started but she was cut off.

"Klaus!" The witch called. No matter what the case was, Bonnie would choose Elijah over allowing Klaus to live if she had any say in it.

The hybrid turned his head slightly soon to be met with a surge of power in his head.

"Let…Elijah…go." She commanded, her power causing his body to shake.

Klaus and no choice but to oblige, and released his brother's heart, removing his hand to hold his own head.

Stefan stared in disbelief as Klaus held his head screaming in pain, while Elijah gasped, his chest still had a gaping hole.

"Damon!" he called to his brother, "Get blood!"

Damon ran off as Elijah struggled to his feet, holding one hand to the ginormous hole in his chest.

He slowly staggered closer to Klaus, who was still being held down by Bonnie's power. He crouched down closer to his face now.

"You are lucky I am too weak to kill you myself brother." He growled. He could see Bonnie's expression, she was getting weaker and would not be able to hold onto him much longer.

Elijah gave her a nod, half in thanks and half in acknowledgment of her power weakening.

He accepted the blood when Damon had returned, he made it just in time, Elijah's pain became unbearable.

"You screwed up Elijah" Klaus whispered, the pain in his head lessening. "You cannot kill me, and you managed to piss me off. Who will pay the most for that?"

"What do you mean?" Stefan's voice boomed, but Klaus only laughed.

"It is all about the blood-line. Now I have an ex doppelganger to find." He smiled, no longer feeling the pain of the witch's magic.

"No!" Elijah yelled reaching for him, but Klaus was already gone.

* * *

_**I hope you guys are enjoying this =) Please review!**_


	6. Instinct

_An: Thank you for all of the reviews/favorites and alerts =) You guys are awesome._

_The next couple of chapters were my favorite to write and I hope you enjoy them!_

_This one specifically was a challenge to write, I wanted to capture the thoughts of the characters as perfectly as I could, and as you read on…you'll see why._

_I hope you enjoy! The next chapter Happenstance will be up tomorrow morning_

_Please continue with the reviews!_

* * *

_**To destroy is still the strongest instinct in nature.**_

_**Max Beerbohm**_

* * *

_Chapter Five_

_Instinct_

Elena had thrown her phone out the car window a while back, once she reached the high way. She knew at some point her friends would be calling her, Caroline would have told them she left.

_That's why she told her. She chickened out._

She knew her friend's words would bring her back home, but there was this strong feeling in her chest that she couldn't explain.

It was as if her heart was being torn out.

Elena had been driving for one day straight, refusing to stop for anything. She was afraid where she would end up.

Finally, her GPS got her to her destination. It was a hotel not far from Jeremy's school.

_Finally_ she sighed, stretching her legs out the door of her car. She could hear someone nearby, the slightest sound of a heartbeat in her vicinity. She brought her attention to an older man, with greying hair and wrinkles on his forehead. She examined his run down flannel shirt and ripped jeans when she noticed him checking out her long, olive toned legs, which were revealed by the shorts that she was wearing. She looked closer into his eyes, as if trying to read his mind.

That's when she realized it.

She could hear the blood pumping through his veins.

She could feel his breath.

She could taste the copper liquid against her lips.

Shaking her head, she looked for Elijah, but knew he wasn't there.

_Elijah_, she recalled sadly, but her sadness was only able to last for a moment.

Her blood lust had taken over just as quickly as it hit her.

Elena hadn't fed in twenty-four hours, and as she went to reach for a blood bag, she could hear a voice, carefully whispering in her head.

_It's okay Elena, One taste won't hurt. You know what to do._

She tried to shake it off, but she couldn't. Her instinct was too strong.

She needed to feed.

Making eye contact with the older man, she gestured for him to join her, which he happily consented.

"Are you looking to have some fun baby?" he cooed as he slid into the passenger seat of the car. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

_I guess it has to be five o'clock somewhere…_

Since becoming a vampire, she has been able to pick out any minor imperfections of the human body, which has made her quite self-conscious herself. This human, she wanted to stare at, so she could remember his face when she felt like self-pitying.

She had no intention on allowing him to survive this encounter.

"You could say something like that" she smiled, pulling his face closer to hers.

_It will be fun all right, more for me than you of course._

* * *

"We have to find Elena!" Elijah yelled. He didn't seem to care about the hole in his chest anymore since it finally began to heal. He could now feel his organs reconnecting to where they belonged; now he needed to focus on more important matters. Elena's safety.

"You need to relax!" Caroline grabbed his shoulders, trying to force him to sit down, but even the Original in his weakened state was too determined to get his point across. He grabbed Caroline by the shoulders in return, in an odd protective manner which was the only thing keeping the others from jumping the gun and attacking their newest ally (twice removed).

"No.I.. Don't." He snarled slowly. "Not only is Elena gone, but Nicklaus is searching for her. She is not safe!"

He had always promised Elena one thing, to keep her friends safe from harm. Since she became a vampire however, he felt as if those promises had changed.

He promised to help her through her transition, and he failed at that, his guilt consuming over anything else.

He owed her, in his own moral sense of the word.

"Last I checked, you were the one who was preaching about how she can make her own decisions." Damon quipped, crossing his arms while leaning against the back of his chair.

Elijah, who shot him a look that could kill, was about to say something in response when Stefan walked into the room, closing his cell phone.

"That was Jeremy. He hasn't heard from Elena in weeks."

Caroline nodded, recalling how her brother had taken to his sister being a vampire.

She also knew Elena wouldn't call Jeremy before visiting, so there was still a chance. The blonde vampire turned to Bonnie, who was hovered over a map, trying to do a locator spell.

"It's not working." She puffed in frustration. "Either I am all drained out, or Klaus has witches blocking me from her,"

Damon chuckled, grabbing his coat; all hope was lost at this point. The usual calm Original was starting to lose it, Stefan would rather wait by the phone, and Bonnie was useless without her magic.

Elena was screwed.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Stefan shrugged, looking at Elijah for an answer, who seemed torn.

"We should go find her." He stated, as if that was the obvious answer. "Yet she wants to be alone clearly. If only there was a way to warn her."

The group watched him carefully, Elijah had never included them in the plan making, nor was he ever so unsure of what to do. That was what Elena was there for.

"Why not?" Caroline inquired, unafraid to overstep any boundaries as always.

Elijah shook his head and stood.

"We tread carefully. This is my fault. I will handle it. I will find her, and stay close. If my brother shows his face, I will take care of it."

"Uh…how about NO Armani? Elena is our friend!" Damon exclaimed, glad he had his coat on already. He was about to leave.

Elijah rolled his eyes.

"You do whatever you want Damon, I am with Elijah on this one." Stefan spoke up. "Elena wants to be alone; crowding her could cause us to lose her forever. We will keep a close eye on her."

"This is such a joke." Damon mumbled as he stormed out the door. He wasn't about to let Elena get herself killed because of Elijah's "honor".

"He will never learn will he?" Caroline had said to herself.

* * *

Elena could feel her fangs protrude her gum line, causing a slight burning feeling.

She was still getting used to that. It didn't hurt as bad anymore.

_No, Elena, don't hurt him._

_I am __hungry_

She was fighting the hunger the best that she could, but once her fangs touched his warm, pulsating neck all bets were off.

_It's all right. You know what to do_

It was as if basic instinct took over the second her fangs pierced his jugular.

She had completely lost herself at this point.

The warm taste, it was so different from the bags, this was better, so so much better. She heard the man moan slightly, which made her enjoy the taste even more.

_Stop. You have to stop!_

There goes that voice again.

It was like fighting a rabid beast, the instinct was powerful. The need for basic survival would not let go.

_You are better than this Elena._

_You are not Katherine_

_You are not Damon, you do not need to hurt others because you are hurt._

_Please __Please __ stop!_

Elena finally snapped out of her blood induced trance, but she was afraid she was too late…

"Oh god! Oh no!" she cried covering up the puncture wounds with her hand.

She could still hear a heartbeat, it was so slight. Only a vampire would be able to pick up on it.

As quickly as she could, Elena bit into her wrist and allowed her blood to flow into his mouth, forcing the unconscious man to drink.

She waited for only a little while, until the man woke up.

"Wha-What happened?" he grumbled, holding his neck, the puncture wounds healed.

Elena grabbed the man by the chin, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Nothing happened. You have never met me before. You don't remember anything, except getting a terrible nosebleed." She compelled the man. She had never done that before, and waiting for a second to make sure it worked.

The man showed no recollection in his eyes.

As he nodded, Elena pushed him out of the car, scared of her own actions and sped off to the opposite side of the hotel parking lot.

* * *

_Just wonderful. Elena is a walking target._

Damon was pissed, Stefan had betrayed him by taking sides with Elijah, who only wanted to sit back and watch the show.

He had to help Elena if no one else would.

"Maybe Damon has a point…Bonnie spoke softly. She was still drained from using all of her power in order to subdue Klaus. "Maybe we need to find her before Klaus does."

Elijah considered this for a moment still torn, but firmly decided. He wanted nothing more than to have Elena back with him, but she had wanted to leave.

He made this happen.

"No, Klaus probably knows exactly where Elena is already. He would have her by now if that is what he wanted to do. Or worse, he is going to use us to find it by following us. We need to be a step ahead, it's the only way to beat my brother."

There was an empty feeling in the Original's chest, one would say where his heart should be, if he didn't have one.

Within a second, however, that empty feeling turned into an agonizing pain, bringing him to his knees.

"Elijah?" Caroline stepped forward, but Bonnie held her back.

Elijah couldn't breathe.

He grabbed onto the nearby chair for balance, but it crumpled under his grip. The agonizing feeling of his heart being ripped out, but his heart was still intact. There was something horribly wrong, but the feeling lasted not long after, going as quickly as it came.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked nervously, now approaching him.

Elijah nodded slowly, lifting himself off of the ground.

"Something has happened." He whispered, brushing himself off.

He wondered what caused the pain, now even more worried for Elena's safety.

Damon looked down at his buzzing cell phone while he drove South. At first he was going to ignore it, but when he looked at the name on the screen he pulled over.

"Rebekah! My favorite Original girl. What do I owe the pleasure?" he answered.

He expected her to have a sarcastic remark, but instead he could hear tears on the other end.

"Rebeka…what's wrong?"

"It's my brother Damon. Finn." She stammered between tears.

_Finn?_

"What about him?"

"He is dead. Damon. You may have a problem." Her voice changed from choking back tears, to sounding much more serious now.

"Me? Why me?" he was beginning to get irritated. He had just left Mystic Falls not even an hour ago and there was already a disaster.

"Sage is gone too Damon. It seems that Finn's entire bloodline had died with him"

Damon froze, nearly dropping his phone.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

Elena, now adjusting to her new ability, compelled the woman at the front desk of the hotel to give her a room and to keep the rest of the floor empty.

She needed to stay away from people.

When she got to her room, she felt a bit more at ease. The rooms scheme was darkly-toned with deep beige walls and blood red furniture. It was as if it was made for a vampire.

She began to feel a bit more comfortable now, not having the smell of blood constantly occupying her senses. The voice, however, still rang strong in the back of her mind.

_You could have compelled her to come up here and be your donor_

It made Elena want to bash her head into a wall.

The young vampire decided to jump in the shower to clear her thoughts, and to wash off any blood she may have had on her, even though there was none there. She allowed the hot water to hit her back as she sat on the floor, trying to soak away her emotions.

She was a vampire now.

_It's time for you to accept that._

Yet she couldn't. She wasn't going to allow herself to become a vile killing machine, as all of her friends had done before her.

Except Caroline. She had the right help.

Elena never felt so alone.

She wanted to go back to Elijah, but he didn't want her, if he did he would come and find her.

Once she was done, Elena got into fresh clothes. She was going to visit Jeremy.

* * *

Stefan was wary.

Something didn't feel right and he knew it.

"Elijah. Maybe we should head out and find Elena. We can't keep a close eye on her from here." He suggested, lacking confidence in his own plan.

Elijah nodded however, agreeing with him.

"It would help if we found her first though don't you agree Salvatore?"

Elijah knew all too well the feeling of chasing a Petrova. He swore he would never be so foolish again, yet here he was.

The only difference this time around was that it was out of love, rather than revenge.

He looked up when he heard the front door open and shut quickly and heavy footsteps approaching.

"Uh…what happened to our chair?"

_Damon_

"Elijah happened." Caroline spoke with a laugh. She was sitting on the couch next to a sleeping Bonnie.

Damon sighed, not wanted to push that matter any longer. He was now owed a chair.

"Well…we have a serious problem. An Original problem."

The entire group looked over to Elijah, as if he knew what Damon was talking about.

"Okay Damon, please get to your point." Stefan urged his brother.

Damon quickly explained the phone call from Rebekah, and his new theory about killing an Original, while the others looked on, confused.

"So what part of your drive gave you this theory?" Stefan asked trying to pry the answers out of his older brother at a faster pace. He had a bad feeling about Damon's response.

Damon knew he should have felt a sense of pride with his next piece of information, but he still dreaded sharing it.

"Finn."

He looked gravely at the Original in the room, not sure if he was going to attack him or something else.

"What has Finn done?" Elijah asked, approaching Damon. The two brothers always had a sense of honor about them, but since he had betrayed them to his mother, he was truly concerned.

"He died. Sorry, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details." Damon spoke with sarcasm, but even Elijah could hear the angst in his tone. The elder Salvatore couldn't imagine the feeling of losing his brother, no matter how much he could drive him nuts.

Elijah recalled the pain in his chest. He had felt his brother's demise and didn't even realize it.

"Surely you know more." He told Damon. He wasn't ready to believe his brother was gone just yet. He was disappointed when Damon shook his head.

"What I do know , is all of the vampires from his blood line died as well. Sage being one of them."

Elijah nodded gravely again, his expression set in stone.

"That's why Nicklaus said we cannot kill him. If we kill him…We will be playing a game of chance." He examined the Salvatores and Caroline carefully, thinking back on their lineage.

He didn't sire Katerina. That had been Rose.

Mary Porter had sired Rose, he recalled with a slight smile.

_Scary Mary_.

He knew he didn't sire Mary, so it wasn't him.

Rebekah didn't like her at all, stealing the affections of all her brothers, it was unlikely.

Kol was more likely to slaughter those around him rather than turn anyone.

It obviously wasn't Finn…

_Klaus…_

* * *

Elena arrived at the boarding school dormitory building. She had drained one last blood bag, preparing to be around people.

She would not make the same mistake that she made earlier again.

Finally she had some clarity, the memories of her first and last encounter with human flesh had broken free, allowing her some space.

_I wish Elijah had been there to stop me…_

Elena walked up the steps to the dorm rooms. She had to compel the secretary to give her Jeremy' room number, apparently they "weren't authorized" to give out student information.

As if that was going to stop her.

When she finally reached her brother's room, she gave out a sigh of relief. It had been a project to say the least. She could smell everything while walking up the stairs. There had been some kids trying to smoke outside their windows, some of it illegal substances, some regular cigarettes, she could feel someone's blood pumping as they had sex with someone in the room next door.

It was as if Jeremy was away at college.

She heard someone's heart racing as they ran passed her in the hallway.

Elena's senses were in overdrive, but she was okay.

*knock*

She lightly tapped on his door once, a part of her hoping he wouldn't hear her.

_Is this such a good idea?_ She wondered to herself. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she put Jeremy at risk.

Of course, he opened the door, looking tired.

"Uh…Elena?"

He watched her nervously when she smiled.

"Hi Jer."

* * *

_**Please Review! =) **_


	7. Happenstance

_A/N So, my original plan was for this story to be "Original-Free" besides Elijah and Klaus…well. I changed my mind. I hope you all are enjoying this. I am enjoying writing it and sharing it with you guys._

_Let me know what you think in the reviews!_

_Disclaimer- I do not own The Vampire Diaries or it's characters_

* * *

_**It's luck that one thing works out and one doesn't, it's sort of happenstance.  
**__**Richard Linklater**_

* * *

_Chapter Six_

_Happenstance_

"Elena! Uh…Come in?" Jeremy allowed his sister to walk past, making sure to check the hallway before closing the door.

_Probably to see if I left a trail of bodies_ she presumed.

"So uh…what's up?" he asked pointing to the futon where she could sit. He seemed nervous having his vampire sister around.

"Nothing. I just needed to get away for a while." She answered coolly.

_Because Elijah doesn't want me around anymore._

She wasn't about to explain the entire debacle between her and Elijah. Jeremy wouldn't care to know. She shook the entire memory from her mind, she knew she did the right thing, all she did was cause Elijah pain.

Elena sat in silence as Jeremy straightened up the room he shared with someone else. He hadn't been expecting company.

"I'll leave before your room mate gets here don't worry." She whispered sadly.

She didn't feel welcome in her own brother's presence.

_I guess he hates me now too…_

"It's really not a problem. He's cool." He responded quickly.

There was another brief pause between the two of them, Elena could tell her brother was in thought.

"Elena there is something you should know."

The vampire looked up, making eye contact, which made her wonder if he has been ingesting vervain.

_Maybe he has a girlfriend…_ she considered.

"What's wrong Jer?"

She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

Elena's thoughts, and her conversation with her brother were put on hold when she heard a familiar voice down the hallway, she couldn't put her finger on whom it belonged to though.

"_Okay I will take care of it"_ she heard clearly. The speaker shut his cell phone.

Looking back to Jeremy, she wanted to ignore it, thinking it could have been her imagination running wild again, but then she heard the door click.

"Hey Jeremy I got-" The young looking male stopped when he entering the room, noticing his room mate had company.

Her eyes met his, as fear clenched her heart.

"You" they both spoke simultaneously.

_Kol_.

* * *

"So you think that Klaus sired our bloodline?" Caroline stood when she noticed that Bonnie was waking up.

"It is very possible Nicklaus sired Mary Porter, who in turned changed Rose." Elijah had to recall a long way back, but he was much more sure than he sounded.

_Awesome_ Caroline thought, angry for a moment, not enjoying her connection to Klaus one bit. She was glad however, Tyler would be safe. She knew that if the Salvatores figured Klaus did not sire their bloodline, they would kill him in a heartbeat, in turn then killing Tyler.

"So that means if Klaus had killed you, Elena would die too…" The blonde also realized.

"Well…there goes my plan." Damn scoffed, receiving an angry look from Stefan and Caroline.

"That also means that had my brother completed his ritual killing myself, Kol and Rebekah…he would have wiped out three quarters of the vampire population, in turn making him truly unstoppable." The Original concluded, now angrier than before.

Klaus would end up ruling the world with his god-forsaken hybrids.

_But we would survive_ Caroline thought with a hint of relief.

She knew Elena would never allow Elijah to kill Klaus now.

She would never risk her friend's lives, but without her here…there was no telling what Elijah's decision would be.

_Elena…where the hell are you?_

_Elijah…as long as I stick with you, my humanity will be preserved._

The Original recalled Elena's words affectionately.

_I allowed her to leave. I should never have allowed her to go…_

He stayed engrossed in his thoughts as the others discussed a plan of action. He didn't even have it in him to respond to Damon's smart remark.

_Sometimes, I really hate that guy…_

He thought. He was jolted from his day dream when Stefan's phone rang.

"It's a text from Jeremy." The younger Salvatore glanced to Elijah.

"He says that Elena is there." There was a sigh of relief among the group, even Bonnie, who had remained silent. "He says that there is trouble?"

* * *

Elena didn't have time to react as Kol slammed her into the closest wall, his arm pushing against her throat.

"You could have had me fooled for Katerina. Hah. It was a nice try Elena." He spoke closely to her ear.

"Elena!" Jeremy cried. She could see him take out his cell phone to send a text message.

_Great timing Jer_ she thought as Kol pushed harder against her windpipe, sending a searing pain through Elena's neck.

"You , little Miss Doppelganger, have made my brother quite upset."

_Elijah?_ Was her first thought, but she knew he was talking about Klaus.

She stared at him, unable to speak. The new vampire may have had Original blood in her, but that wouldn't help her now with an angry, out of control Original held her down.

"I could kill you here and now, but alas. My brother has requested differently." He released her, and she crumpled to the ground struggling to get up as Kol approached Jeremy.

"No!" she croaked, her windpipe healing slowly with time.

"You have disappointed Nicklaus, Elena. He has asked me to take care of some things for him."

Jeremy backed away, now frightened.

"Kol…you are a vampire?" He stared at Elena in shock.

The Original laughed.

"Sorry pal." He shrugged, slipping the ring off his finger, preparing to snap his neck "No hard feelings all right?"

"Wait!" Elena cried getting up.

_Does Klaus know about me being a vampire? Crap._

"You don't know the entire story Kol!"

Kol stopped his advance, turning to his eldest brother's creation.

"What are you talking about?" he spat.

Elena knew he wouldn't listen for too long, this brother was unpredictable at his worst.

"Klaus was going to kill you all in a ritual! Elijah killed me to prevent it from happening!"

Kol shook his head angrily.

"You are a liar!" he yelled at her.

Elena shook her head, her neck fully healed.

"Do you really think your brother would have done this to me if it wasn't for a good reason?"

_It's a good thing Kol here is distracting me_. Elena realized that her hunger was beginning to return.

Kol approached her quickly, taking her by surprise again. This time he was barely an inch away from her face.

Had this been a year ago, she would have been petrified.

Things have changed, but she was still nervous.

"So why don't you tell me then little one? I would love nothing more!"

Elena couldn't see her brother anymore, she hoped he got away.

Without averting her eyes from Kol's, whose nose was now touching hers, she whispered,

"Your brother found a spell so he would no longer need to use the doppelganger's blood."

"Go on…" Kol began to tease her by putting his hand gently on her face.

"All he needed for the spell was to bleed me dry and each of his standing siblings." She quickly explained, now she was scared. _What is he going to do to me?_ She could feel his hand travelling down her neck, closer to her shoulder. "So that means you…Elijah and Rebekah"

She wanted to cry out, but instead she watched in horror as Kol's eyes turned red in anger, the beins surrounding them turned black. Seeing this face, reminded of her own when she had been feeding on the stranger.

It made her hunger stronger.

"How do I know you are speaking the truth?" he growled, removing his hand, which had travelled to her hip.

Elena had to get out of this somehow.

"You won't find out if you kill me, and your loyal ties will remain with a brother who would kill you for his own army of hybrids." She spat, her confidence beginning to ride.

Kol smiled a genuine, yet mischievous grin, as he released her entirely.

"You know…my brothers would speak of the Petrova fire. I always thought it was a joke." He placed his arm around her casually, as if they had been close friends, causing Elena to stiffen. "Clearly I was wrong."

Elena laughed weakly, searching for Jeremy, who was cautiously looking into the room.

Elena nodded, giving him the okay. Kol seemed harmless, for now. He probably knew she wouldn't speak to him if he killed her brother.

"So uhh…seems you two know each other?"

He seemed nervous.

He had every reason to be.

"You could say that" Kol laughed, patting Elena playfully on the back.

"Jer…your room mate…Kol, he is an Original."

Jeremy stepped back frightened even more now.

"So I managed to make friends with a freaking vampire?"

Kol laughed again.

_Completely different from Elijah_

'Listen, Jeremy, your sister and I need to take a walk, to discuss some…personal matters and of course grab a bite to eat." He played with her hair slightly, making his arm still around her shoulder, "I can smell the younger pouring off of you love." He looked to Jeremy over Elena's head, taking in the scent of her hair.

"You see Elena, you and I will make the best of friends."

_**Please please review =) I still am not sure is I am still set on making a Kol/Elena friendship but I am thinking he will be back ;)**_


	8. Crash

_A/N The introduction of Kol in the last chapter had been fun, and I may or may not keep him around for a bit._

_Thank you for all of the favorites/alerts and reviews please keep them coming =)_

_Disclaimer: It goes without saying that I do not own The Vampire Diaries or it's characters, if I did…well…there would be some changes lol_

* * *

_**I believe in running through the rain and crashing into the person you love and having your lips bleed on each other.  
**__**Billy Bob Thornton**_

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

_Crash_

"So let's go!" Damon announced, heading to the door.

"No Damon." Stefan spoke clearly. "You need to stay here. Someone has to keep an eye on things."

Elijah caught himself laughing to himself. That was the younger Salvatore's way of preventing the two vampires from getting into a fight. He may have respected Damon, but would gladly do without him for this trip.

"Come Stefan." Elijah stood up, grabbing his keys. "I will drive."

Elijah could never deny that he missed Elena. Just as he had never wanted to turn her, he never meant to shut her out. He only wanted to protect her from his guilt. He had this chance to explain that to her.

Bonnie decided to join them as well, also feeling guilty for Elena's situation. Not only did she have a hand in Elijah turning her, but she had encouraged her to go on this "walk about". Knowing this, she also (although she would never admit this out loud) felt bad for insulting Elijah as she did. She could see a hint of what Elena had seen in him, that made her trust him so many times.

"So what do we plan to do when we get there?" the witch asked while sitting in the back seat of Elijah's Mercedes. The Original had just pulled onto the highway, hoping to make excellent time.

"Well, Damon would say that we needed to drag her back to Mystic Falls by her hair kicking and screaming. I say we just keep an eye on her. She wants her space, we should respect it and hopefully prevent Nicklaus from getting to her in the first place." His tone was light and airy as he joked about Damon, which Bonnie found amusement in. Stefan did also, his brother was nothing if not predictable at times.

"We are going to have to find her first." Stefan pointed out, taking out his cell phone to text Jeremy. He would be able to find out where she was staying, if not with him.

He received a response almost instantly, which Stefan hadn't expected.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked noticing his reaction. She tried to look over the seat to see the message, but changed her mind as soon as she realized Elijah was pushing 90 miles per hour down the road. He was in a rush.

"Jeremy says…" he paused, his hands shaking in anger.

"What?" Elijah's voice hinted a tone of panic.

"Jeremy says Elena left not long ago…Elijah, she left with Kol…"

* * *

"So Miss Gilbert, it seems my brother favors you." Kol pointed out as he led her hour of the dorms. His head was close too hers, practically nuzzling into her hair. "So…are you going to tell me why that is?"

Elena shook her head sharply. She wasn't about to get caught in conversation with this Original.

She had wanted to run when they reached the outdoors, she thought that she would be able to escape if she caught him off guard, but soon thought otherwise. Right now, the unstable brother of Elijah was playing nice with her. As long as he was doing that, Jeremy was safe.

Kol sat her down on a bench in the quad where they could easily view the people running around, either late for their classes or getting ready to go to work.

Everything seems so different when you are a vampire.

Elena was able to sit there and watch the people run around, all in a panic, rushing their lives away.

She was going to live forever…or at least until Kol decided to kill her.

"So Elena…" he snapped her out of her thoughts, "Do tell me how you know for sure my brother was going to kill us all."

He sat down dangerously close to her, to the point where they were almost touching. He was pushing for her to explain.

"Klaus kidnapped me" she began, making sure to distinguish that by 'brother' Kol meant Klaus, not Elijah, "he ended up telling me then that I was going to be used for this new ritual. He kept me at this house where I think another hybrid lived, Tara was her name…" Elena struggled to remember the moments before her death, where she could remember Elijah killing her, and her plans to die from the beginning she was still fuzzy on certain details Elijah had told her that her memory would return in time. "Elijah had a witch…Alma, I believe he called her, breakdown the barriers Klaus used to keep anyone from entering so that he could get me out."

Kol accepted this part of the story, sliding back, away from her slightly but waved his hand for her to continue.

"Klaus and Elijah had both told me the same story that I told you. As always, the doppelgangers blood would assist in unlocking the need for it any longer. However, they needed the purest of vampire blood as well, which would include your family's. Elijah had to stop him." She hoped the youngest brother would understand, she hoped that somewhere under that lunatic exterior there was a man with logic and values. She wasn't so sure. "If Klaus completed the ritual, you would all be dead and Klaus would be unstoppable." Elena finished her story, all while carefully eying Kol.

The Original considered this all for a moment, first he wanted to call Elijah, but he knew once his brother found out he was enjoying the company of his doppelganger, it would cause nothing but problems.

He also considered confirming with Klaus, but he already knew even if it were true, Nicklaus would deny it until he was blue in the face and then dagger him for asking.

_Some honor in our family._ He thought with discontent, _Looks like Elijah may have been right._

"Okay!" He stood up briskly, "I will accept that for now!"

He pulled Elena to her feet.

"Now then, let us go get a bite to eat!"

"I would much rather not feed Kol." Elena mumbled carefully, not wanting to piss off the Original.

* * *

Not long after, she sat at the base of a large oak tree, seemingly alone.

"Right, right. Compassion and what not, yeah" Kol's voice rang. He sounded almost…poetic to Elena's newly sensitive ears.

The youngest brother was perched on top of the oak so high only a vampire would be able to hear him speaking. Elena knew he was stalking for his prey and while she hated the thought she knew better than to fight it.

"You see Elena, I used to destroy villages back in the day. Those were the fun times, when nobody lived to repeat the name Kol Mikaelson. Ever. Now here I am sitting in a damn tree waiting for the perfect meal. Don't you see? Men can change."

She could practically hear him wink with his tone. She was relieved that he had decided against going on a tirade throughout Denver, killing everything in his path. Had this been a few years ago, she would have responded with something along the lines of "You are not a man" .

Clearly, she has changed as well.

"Aha!"He proclaimed, "Gotcha! I will be back love!"

Kol landed on the ground before her, graceful as ever, and took off. Elena considered trying to stop him, but a something else tried to convince her to join him.

_It could be fun you know. It doesn't hurt to try._

Elena shook the thought back, and again considered trying to stop him but a voice behind her brought her rabidly to her feet instead.

"There is my doppelganger!"

_Klaus_

Elena was barely able to take two steps back before the Original hybrid was in her face.

"Aren't you the deceitful one?" he cooed into her ear making her body tremble. When Elijah did this, he did it to get her attention,

When Kol did it, he did it to be close to her.

Klaus did it to scare her, and it worked.

_Relax Elena. Fight back._

There's that voice again, preaching about self-preservation.

For a while, Elena believed it was a piece of Katherine in her, trying to bring her to the proverbial dark side, but Katherine would never suggest she fight Klaus.

By now, Klaus' hand was tracing down her cheek, and trailing slowly down her neck to in between her breasts. Finally he rested it over her heart.

She was going to die…again.

"Oh Elena, try not to worry so much." He smiled.

She felt a tug in her mind, the same tug that brought her instinct over in control.

It was making her survive. The fighter in Elena was there, it had just been hidden deeper since turning.

She never wanted to hurt anyone.

"No!" she cried, pushing him back too quickly for him to react.

Klaus was surprisingly taken off guard and ended up crashing into the oak tree, nearly cracking it in half.

He stood, this time knowing what to expect from her.

"You will pay for that dearly my love." He ran to her, grabbing her by the hair, snapping her neck back, but careful not to let it break.

_He is going to make me suffer._

Elena grunted in pain, choking back a cry, while Klaus, who now held her tight by the back of her neck tossed her across the clearing, the ground nearly caving under where she landed.

"It is too bad Rebekah isn't here for this" he snickered. "She would gladly take over for me, and probably enjoy it more as well."

Elena struggled to her feet, her body healing rapidly by itself.

_It pays to be turned by an Original apparently_ she realized.

Elena had been much faster, and much stronger than he anticipated.

She was also not clouded by arrogance as he was. She was much smarter than that.

_He can thank his brother later, _she thought with a laugh.

"Funny. I guess that means you didn't tell her how you were going to kill her for your own gain then huh?"

Elena could see Klaus did not like the new her. His distaste was showing clearly all over his face.

"Rebekah would understand" he spoke her name gently. He said it as if she would want something like this for him.

The sanctimonious attitude he always carried was nauseating. He truly believed his family would die for his cause.

Elena was shot out of her thoughts when he went at her again, while she was barely steady on her feet.

_I guess we are fighting dirty_ she thought as he knocked her body to the side.

The much younger vampire (practically new born) crumpled to the ground, clutching her side.

"_Elena, it's all about focus."_

_Elijah was standing before her now, holding onto a punching bag. _A dream? A memory?

"_I know Alaric taught you some moves, but now that you are a vampire, it is all about your own self-control."_

_Elena nodded, sliding back into a fighting stance._

"_I can do this" she smiled, which Elijah returned, as she slid into a fighting stance._

Snapping out of her flashback, Elena hopped to her feet, regaining her focus.

"You know…" Klaus smiled again, he always felt like he was winning. "Katerina, she would have begged for my mercy by now."

Elena took his statement in, and thought about it, only for a short moment.

_Was this a request? _She wondered.

"I am not Katherine." She growled at the one thing she fought against herself for the past three years, jumping at Klaus who dodged her move.

"You are right about that." He laughed now standing behind her. "You,Miss Elena, are a fighter."

She panicked when she realized that this one time…she lost her focus.

That was when he caught her. The way he had spoken her name brought her own humanity surging through.

Elena froze, feeling an excruciating pain in her back as she was tossed head first into the already breaking oak tree.

Dazed and confused, Elena rolled onto her back to look up at the sky. She could hear Klaus approaching slowly, but she was unable to move any more.

He was savoring the moment.

She heard a crack, maybe two, when she saw the tree coming down.

_Only one crack to break that tree…_ were her last thoughts as she began to slip into unconsciousness.

Her eyes began to close, watching the tree hurdle towards her,

_Maybe one of the branches will pierce my heart _ she thought, wondering if this was going to be her final death.

The tree had almost hit her, but before it was too late, she felt someone lift her off of the ground and take her away.

* * *

Elijah, Stefan and Bonnie made it to Denver is just under a day. It was early in the morning by the time they arrived, but the first thing they had to do was find Jeremy, who knew they were coming.

They couldn't wait, Klaus would never wait.

Elena's brother had briefly explained the Kol situation, in his own guilt, he had no idea that Kol was a vampire, let alone an Original, to Stefan through text message. None of them could be angry with him, Elijah most of all should have expected as much that Klaus would have wanted to keep an eye on the brother just in case it turned out Elena had back stabbed him.

When the three arrived at the dorm, Jeremy had not answered his phone. It was five am so they assumed it was because he was asleep, bringing them to break into his room. Bonnie slipped to the side, where Jeremy's bed was, going to wake him up, while Elijah walked down the hallway of the building to make coffee for the others, and as he searched the cabinets for tea bags, he ended up making himself a strong cup of coffee as well.

The Original took in a deep breath, and leaned against the table while he waited for the coffee to brew. He turned around quickly when he heard a stir behind him, to see a girl, no older than Jeremy standing in the archway. She was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and a mans t-shirt.

"Uh…Are you looking for someone?" her voice was high and nasally. She smelled of sex.

He stepped away from the table and apologized, very embarrassed.

"I'm here with Jeremy Gilbert, I apologize for frightening you." He lowered his head, his own way of showing respect to the girl who did not belong here either.

"Oh." She responded blankly. She did not know who he was. "You look…familiar."

Elijah cocked his head to the side, there was something off about this girl.

"I have a brother who attends this school. His name is Kol. Maybe that is who you are thinking of." He did not need to say it, he already knew she did since he could smell Kol all over her, but Kol wasn' the one whom she had just had sex with.

"I…don't know who that is…strange. Should I?" her doe-eyes gazed at him from the other side of the room. Elijah got a closer look at her, and realized what was wrong.

_She's been compelled_

Elijah shook his head and approached her carefully, looking into her eyes.

"You should leave now." He whispered. He could hear the girls heart beat faster.

It wasn't out of fear.

"Are-are you sure?" she smiled at him placing her hand on his hip causing his body to turn away.

Elijah nodded,

"Very much so."

The girl pouted and ran off, leaving Elijah relieved that he did not have to compel her to do so. He hated taking away someone else's self-control.

* * *

Elijah rejoined the group after his encounter with the girl, he presumed, Kol had been using as a walking blood donor and sex toy, with coffee in hand. He entered the room to see Jeremy sitting lazily on the futon, separating the two beds, where a flat screen television sat on the wall.

_A gift from Elena_ he recalled.

His eyes searched the room, which was a mess, not much else was to be expected with a teenager. His gaze fell on Kol's side of the room, where his scent was all over. He smiled to himself when he saw the small stack of books about World History. Kol always pretended to be a History major, since he lived through most of those times.

_Him and Alaric could have gotten along well…had he not been an unpredictable, human hating- ass._

"Elijah" Jeremy grumbled, rubbing his eyes, bringing the Original's attention back to the group, who were all sipping on their coffee happily now.

"Good morning Jeremy" The Original responded, looking at the time again. "Sorry to wake you. As you are already aware, this is important." He pushed the cup of coffee to Elena's brother, who hadn't taken it yet. "Have you heard from your sister since Kol took her?"

He was trying to distance himself from Elena, frightened of what could have happened to her. He didn't want to hurt over her, yet he wanted to suffer.

Jeremy accepted the cup cautiously, and shook his head while stifling a yawn.

"No, but I think this is where she is staying." He passed on a piece of crumpled up paper to Stefan, all while refusing to make eye contact with the Original.

_I can't blame him for hating me._

"The Green Room?" Stefan read aloud with a hint of question in his tone. The place sounded like a dive.

"Yeah. It's the nearest hotel to here." The brother sounded reserved, "Do you think she is all right?" This time he looked to Bonnie for a response, but it was an answer she didn't have.

"You never once thought it would be a good idea to inform your siblings of your brothers intentions?" Stefan asked Elijah, turning all attention on the brooding Original, who shook his head.

"No I did not. I mean…I could have, if you wanted to clean up after my siblings as they take on the world by storm. Next time let me know." His voice was as cold as ice, not liking the fact that Stefan challenged his more educated decision.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie spoke up, she had remained quiet most of the visit it seemed.

"Kol would go on a mass killing spree, just starting with the people nearest to him, which by the way Jeremy, I would think that girl in the hallway would be first on his list." He recalled his brother's only use for humans.

Blood and sex, otherwise they were merely pawns to his own advancements. Barely cockroaches.

"All the while, Rebekah will eventually meet up with him, and the two of them will conspire to kill Nicklaus. The two of them together would succeed. Now with our new piece of information, I am glad I withheld that from them." He looked directly to Stefan when he said this, reminding him that he in turn saved him and his brother.

The three left not long after, Bonnie bidding Jeremy goodbye with a long hug, and headed to the hotel, which was only a five minute drive away.

* * *

When they arrived it was already almost seven am. The sun had come up sometime while they were inside Jeremy's dorm Elijah assumed. Vampires that still held the curse of the sun could sense the sun as soon as an hour before it rises, while he could sense it, it did not affect him as strongly.

"Bonnie" Elijah pulled the witch aside, and gestured for Stefan to go and find out what room Elena was staying in.

"Yeah Elijah?" she shook her arm from his grasp, but not in an annoyed manner that would have been expected.

"I need you to keep an eye out here. I can sense my siblings nearby, as well as hybrids. I will call you later on when I know more. Be careful, please."

The witch nodded, not enjoying taking orders from the vampire, but she realized that he knew what he was talking about.

The two were about to enter the hotel when Stefan emerged from the revolving doors with a smug look on his face.

"I got it."

Elijah nodded, while handing the younger vampire some cash.

"Book two rooms, and make sure they are not on the same floor as hers. You cannot get too close."

Elijah was trying to play a game, figuring that if his brother was searching for her, he would look for whatever room Elijah and the others were using.

The Original nodded to them both with gratitude, and he turned to leave the two of them behind.

He had to carry out his own intentions.

"She is in room 405" Stefan told him.

Elijah nodded.

"Stay close, and keep an eye out. I don't give it much longer."

Elijah arrived on the fourth floor of the hotel, fidgeting slightly enough for the other elevator passenger who had boarded as he was getting off, to notice.

"Third floor right?" He glared at the woman, compelling her. "You will stay away from here."

The woman nodded, looking confused as she stepped passed him.

He could smell the vampire blood on her, though she was human. Searching around he could tell there were no other humans on this floor.

Elena made sure to keep it empty.

_She is struggling._ He realized.

He could hear a shuffling around the corner, and knowing there were no humans, he figured the strange woman had been a snack.

_Kol is here._

Elijah walked ahead with conviction. He wanted to rip his brother apart for coming close to Elena, for so much as touching her skin.

He would pay.

As he walked, he turned the corner to hear a door open and close quietly ahead of him. He peered around to see Kol, and before thinking, and before his brother had any chance to react, Elijah ran to him, and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him against the wall.

"Brother!" his younger sibling choked, "Nice to see you too!"

"Where…is….Elena?" Elijah spoke quietly, and slowly to avoid showing the anger he was feeling.

Frightened, his brother pointed behind him to the door, and put his finger to his lips.

_What game is he playing?_

Elijah loosened his grip and led him to the room across the hall, which he had quickly forced open.

Throwing Kol to the ground, he snarled;

"What have you done to her Kol?" He could tell by his little brother's demeanor that she was not in any immediate danger, but he wasn't about to let him get away.

"It wasn't me Elijah." He responded quickly, "Let's just say that now we are even."

Elijah eyed his brother carefully. He wanted to run to Elena's side, but he swore she could not know he was here.

"What are you talking about?"

"Elena told me why you turned her. I also heard Nicklaus confirm it myself." The younger brother responded coolly. He motioned towards the door across the hall, and opened it slightly.

Elena was sleeping soundly, he could see wounds covering her body , but she was healing rapidly.

Relieved, Elijah closed the door and walked back into the other room.

"Nicklaus is here?" his voice struck with pain.

Kol nodded.

"Your girl has some fight in her, not sure where she got that from." He sounded proud of the new vampire. "You are welcome by the way." Kol crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"For?" Elijah tried to maintain his composure. He was happy Elena was okay, but distressed because she went through the ordeal in the first place.

"Well, Nic almost had the jump on her, but I…stopped it temporarily at least." He explained, "she was badly hurt I will have you know. I have her some blood and now she is sleeping it off."

Elijah sighed in relief, he was not happy with his brother's involvement, but thanks to him Elena was safe.

They truly were even.

"Thank you brother." He spoke quietly.

He never believed he would ever say those words to Kol.

"And thank you Elijah."He lowered his head in respect for his elder brother. "You have always been the one to look out for our family." He paused for a long moment, as if debating on what to say next.

"I called Rebekah" he said finally, "she is…very angry right now. I expect everything of Nic's will be on fire before she leaves town."

Elijah smiled, recalling his younger sibling's rash temper.

"Why don't you stay with her?" Kol asked, referring to Elena.

Elijah wanted nothing more than to stay with her of course, he wanted that more than anything in the world. She did not want to see him, so he wasn't going to crowd her.

"Not now, Kol. She is upset with me. Maybe soon."

_Elena is safe, that is all that matters right now._

Elijah picked up his cell phone as he watched his brother leave the room.

He had a plan now.

* * *

_**This chapter was so far my favorite to write. Unfortunately I don't have a lot to build off of Kol's character but I think that made it that much more fun. I hope you find him to be believable!**_

_**Please review it is really giving me the motivation to bust out these chapters =D  
**_


	9. Lost

_**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get posted, my original file got corrupted somehow so I lost everything (insert crying face here). I had to quickly retype this one so I could get it up so it may not be at my 100% so I apologize for that now.**_

_**Please review! I enjoy reading them like you have no idea**_

_**Disclaimer; I do not own Vampire Diaires, or it's characters.**_

* * *

_**A child miseducated is a child lost.  
**__**John F. Kennedy**_

* * *

_Chapter Eight_

_Lost_

Elena awoke to the sound of birds chirping, the breeze outside, and then the smell of blood. She got up slowly, half expecting to feel pain, but felt surprisingly great.

_Have to love being a vampire _she thought sarcastically.

She could hear the slightest movement from the corner of the room, her vision still foggy she searched for any sign of who it could be.

"Kol?" she was confused.

Was he the one who saved her?

"In the flesh Miss Gilbert!" he stood, now clearer in her view and tossed her a blood bag. "Quite a bland diet if you ask me, but hey…you are Elijah's creation. Not mine." He winked at her "We would have so much more fun together."

Elena rolled her eyes, wondering what Elijah would have to say to that, and considered throwing a pillow at him.

_Since when did we become so friendly?_ She wasn't sure if she liked this other side of Kol. He still made her nervous.

"Did you save me" she recalled, her tone more serious. "I am still a bit foggy…"

Kol nodded, watching intently as she drank from the bag.

"Why?"

"Let us just say we are even now love. I hadn't been far when I heard my brother." Kol shook his head, "Pompous ass."

Elena wasn't going to push the matter anymore.

"Come now, we really should get some fresh blood in you."

Elena could feel her stomach turn, memories of her last adventure sneaking in, even though her instinct peaked.

_Go for it._

"I am okay…really." She said instead. She saw the look on his face that said 'You are no fun'.

"It will help you know." He walked towards the door, "Even Elijah fed on people I will have you know…live people. He is no saint Elena; you should always bare that in mind." He spoke as if he was worried for her well-being, rather than of his brother's past actions.

Elena shook her head, she always had an idea of Elijah's past actions but they never really talked about it. He has changed since then.

"I can't control myself Kol. Go on. I am going to stay here."

Kol shrugged, giving her one last glance.

"Suit yourself/"

Elijah's younger brother approached the door, pausing for a moment as if he wanted to say something more, as if debating it he opened it but before leaving turned back to her to say,

"Just so you know…Elijah is in the room across the hall. I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but he doesn't want to go to you because…well...he seems to be afraid to talk to you." He snickered slightly to himself.

"What?" Elena was now on her feet. "How long?" she demanded.

Kol shrugged again.

"Not entirely sure. I ran into him last night while you were sleeping. Elena, as I am sure you know, my brother is a patient man. He will wait you out." He spoke as if he was telling her to go to him, because that is what he was waiting for.

She was going to ask for more information, but before she could the Original vampire was gone.

* * *

Bonnie sat in the hotel lobby with Stefan under the impression they would be waiting for Elijah and they had been waiting for a while now. Stefan called him, noticing the impatient witch, but the Original warned them.

"Klaus is going to be there, you need to keep an eye open for him while I keep an eye on Elena." He paused briefly, as if expecting to hear Stefan argue. Stefan would have preferred to be the one protecting Elena, but with the two of them in the lobby and Elijah upstairs, their abilities were more equal this way.

"Did Bonnie get everything that she needed?" Stefan looked to the witch, who nodded quickly.

"Yeah. How sure are you that Klaus is coming here?" His tone was stiff, but he was sure Elijah could sense his nerves piercing.

"He attacked Elena yesterday." Elijah responded, his tone equally as stiff, as if saying the words made it even more real for him.

Bonnie froze next to the vampire, scared for her friend. She was worried that she was hurt, or worse, dead.

"Is she all right?"

"It seems she had a helping hand. Right now she is sleeping it off. She will be all right though." Elijah responded, sounding distracted before he hung up the phone.

Stefan shrugged to Bonnie as he placed the phone back into his pocket.

"He says Klaus will probably be here soon for Elena." He looked to the crowd of people, "You remember the plan right?"

The two had met Elijah a few hours before and the Original explained the plan he had laid out for them. It seemed like a good plan, but neither Stefan nor Bonnie wanted to rely on the Original one hundred percent.

The witch nodded, joining Stefan in his people watching.

This time, she vowed she would be ready for him.

Bonnie had to keep her senses on high alert for any sign of Klaus or his hybrids. The Original hybrid himself was a tricky bastard, so this time they needed to be prepared.

After being in Denver for an entire day, she was beginning to get bored. Elijah's precise planning had left little margin for error, which also meant less for her to do. While there was a part of her that hoped he wouldn't show, she also wished they would be able to get this over with.

"Bonnie, look" Stefan pointed outside where a dark van pulled up in front of the lobby door.

_He's here, are they planning on doing a snatch and grab?_ She thought with wonder. She never did understand what thoughts would run through Klaus' mind. The vampire and witch instantly shifted into battle mode as Bonnie recalled what Elijah directed them.

"_Don't forget, you have to make sure he is unconscious first before you do your spell." _

They were both relying on Elijah's knowledge of his brother once again, but this time Bonnie had more faith in his loyalties now that Elena was involved.

The witch stood, while Stefan quickly shot through the crowd, compelling the people to leave the lobby.

They wanted minimal casualties. Now they were ready for another fight.

Klaus entered the hotel, this time with four hybrids at his side. Bonnie had a feeling he had more outside this time.

_At least he learned his lesson._

The two met him in the center of the lobby, cutting him off before he could advance any farther.

"Ah Stefan!" Klaus clapped his hands together "And the Bennett witch. My two favorite people!"

"Klaus" Stefan stepped before him, challenging the Original.

_You need to be quick, if you give Nicklaus too much time to think, it will be to your demise. _

Bonnie took a step away from the group, hoping to separate them.

"Don't bother kidnapping Elena." The witch spoke firmly, looking directly at his hybrid companions, who stepped forward, now surrounding her, making her heart pound in her chest.

_Now remember Bonnie, you need to keep Nicklaus' hybrids attention on you._

She took another step back, guiding them away from their sire, following Elijah's plan.

_You better not fail me now Elijah. _Bonnie thought, with little concern. Secretly she knew he wouldn't. He owed her.

"Speaking of Elena…where is my brother?" Or maybe I should ask where both of them are?"

Without indulging Klaus with a response, Stefan took one more step forward and pushed the hybrid back, sending him a few yards out. Moving quickly, the younger Salvatore was able to catch up, blocking him from going anywhere but to the ground.

"That is no matter to you Klaus." Stefan snapped, his eyes black with anger.

_If you keep him angry, Stefan, that should keep him occupied. Nicklaus is nothing if not proud of his own ego._

"You will regret that friend." He snarled, running back to Stefan which the Salvatore had been prepared for. He grabbed the hybrid's head on by the shoulders and grappled him to the ground.

* * *

Bonnie watched Stefan fend off the Original hybrid, while she had her hands full holding off the four hybrids with her magic.

Chanting In latin, the witch was able to subdue the hybrids so as they got closer to her they began to scream in pain and drop to the ground.

_Gotcha_ Bonnie smiled, proud of herself as she moved in to help Stefan.

"Oh what is this?" Klaus looked to his hybrids while being held down, "Do you think you are smarter than I am?" he tried to stand, but Bonnie's magic held him down.

"well Klaus…you my friend…are coming with us." Stefan smiled as he jabbed a stake through his heart.

"Okay Bonnie. Work your magic." Stefan directed as Klaus slumped to the ground, not dead, but frozen, as he stepped away.

_He won't stay like this for long _Bonnie thought as she began to chant once again in Latin. The vampire and witch watched as Klaus' body began to dry away.

"You are sure this won't affect us right?" Stefan asked nervously, he hadn't thought that much through.

Bonnie shook her head, her mind buzzing.

"Call Elijah. Make sure he knows so we can get the hell out of here."

* * *

_Elijah is here._

Elena wasn't sure what to do. A part of her wanted to run across the hall ad see him, but there was a piece of her that felt ashamed of her actions.

She left him, just like he had left her. She recalled how she felt while he was gone, her feeling for him now coming into light.

She knew that wasn't like Elijah though. The cold, mysterious Original vampire older than any other was always distant.

He had probably cut her out of his feelings now. She had betrayed him after all.

She still felt the need of his comfort. She had done something horrible, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was because he wasn't there with her.

_I almost killed a man…_

She began to feel angry, angry at herself for allowing herself to lose her own control, and worst of all, no matter how guilty it made her feel, she was angry with Elijah, for allowing her leave. She had only been gone less than a day before she nearly killed someone.

_I thought I was ready. He thought so too. _

Frustrated, Elena opened her hotel room door and went across the hallway to where Kol said Elijah was staying.

The young vampire wanted to knock the door down, but first relaxed her head on the wooden door, just breathing in the sense that he was so close.

_She could feel better already. Was this a bond they had formed themselves? Or something of the supernatural element?_

Elena shook it off, knocking softly. She knew he would hear her anyway and she could practically feel his body stiffen beyond the door.

_Had he really not been expecting this?_

Her mind filled with anger as she heard him, she could feel him approach the door.

_He was here, but he never came to me _she thought anxiously again.

The door had opened and she stood face to face with the one man she thought that she could rely on. This was the man she died for, and he thanked her by cutting her off.

"Elena."

Was that a hint of sadness In his tone? Was he not happy to see her?

"It is wonderful to see you up and about…" the word _again_ lingered on his tongue.

Elena nodded slowly, and pushed past him unable to hold her feelings back.

"Could you close the door please?" she whispered, trying her hardest to not allow her tone betray the anger she was feeling. Her back remained turned to him. She wasn't sure if she would be able to face him yet

* * *

.

Elijah wasn't surprised when Elena showed up at his door that afternoon. Naturally he wanted to see her, but he wasn't about to push the matter.

"_We have Klaus. We will be taking him back to Mystic Falls. Are you sure you are going to stay?" _Stefan asked him, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Just for a while. " he responded, as he hung up the phone.

With that problem solved, Elijah felt relieved.

Now, however, he had Elena standing before him with her back turned. He didn't have to see her face to know she was angry.

He closed the door behind him as per her request, but did so carefully, as if he didn't want to wake up any more anger inside of her.

As he turned around to speak, he was greeted by having his body slammed against the wall with a force that he did not want to argue with.

"Elena!" He yelled, he began to wonder if this was Katerina standing before him.

_Had he been fooled?_

_No. This was Elena._

He could still smell the humanity inside of her, Katerina had lost all of that ages ago.

"Where…have you been?" she growled, her face dangerously close to his.

"I-got here yesterday Elena." He stammered, choosing his words carefully.

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?" she cried out, her eyes were surrounded by the black veins due to her anger. "I haven't been gone long enough for you? I guess three days just isn't long enough when you have lived an eternity huh!"

He could feel her skin burn against his in anger.

_All this time, she had wanted him to chase her. _ The realization had hit her harder than it should have.

"Elena…You left me. I was giving you the space that YOU wanted!" he defended himself, coming close to regretting the words he chose.

"Space!" she snarled, "Elijah, I never wanted to be alone! You didn't want me around anymore!" She punched the wall behind him, instantly recoiling while turning her back to him.

"I…I almost killed somebody Elijah." Her voice was softer now, her anger fading rapidly as she crumpled to the ground in tears. Her vampire emotions were like riding a roller coaster. He couldn't hold the mood swings against her, not only that but she had spent time with Kol…that never did anyone any good on their psych.

"Elena…" he walked around, crouching down on his knee to her level, her tear stricken face partially covered by her long brown hair. "What happened?" He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, but his contact only made her cry more.

"It's all right Elena…" he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, cradling her head into his chest. He had failed to protect her from this, and for that he blamed himself for her pain.

"Elijah" she began to sob uncontrollably into him. "I-I couldn't stop. I just got so hungry." At this point, she was choking on her own tears as he ran his fingers through her hair listening to her sorrows. "He..he almost died." She buried her face deep into his chest again, grabbing his suit jacket to cry some more.

"It's all right. He is okay, and that is all that matters right now." He gently kissed the top of her head, pulling her even closer, as if it was even possible.

"How do I stop?" she choked again. "I can never do something like that again."

Elijah knew why she had done it. Even if it wasn't all about him, he knew that she did it because she was angry and her instinct had taken over to protect her.

It was something he battled with one too many times himself.

"We will work through it Elena." He whispered into her ear now, "together."

He felt her nod slowly, as she pulled away from him.

"I shouldn't have left Elijah. I should have at least told you beforehand. I…I just didn't know-"

Elijah placed a finger gently on her lips cutting her off.

"I can never blame you for leaving. I know how I acted was childish and horrible of me. I would have left me too." He spoke as careful as ever, "Besides, I was politely informed of how…horrible I made you feel." He spoke softly, cupping her head in his hands, forcing him to look him in the eye so she could see his pain as well.

"For that…I apologize. I will always be by your side Elena. As long as you will have me of course. " he lowered his face to hers and kissed her under her eye, taking away the tear that was falling. It was an affectionate gesture, and even though Elijah wanted so much more now, he could never do that to her.

Elena still had so much of herself to figure out. He was not about to complicate things.

The young vampire's eyes met his, the light finally returning, and the veins surrounding them falling back into her olive toned skin. She covered his hand with hers, gently removing it from her face and moved it gently down to her chest.

"I don't understand it anymore Elijah. It is as if there is this…strange beat inside of me, but it is not my heart…it Is just so cold, like the air in the wind. I can feel nothing else there. Am I no longer humane?"

Elijah pressed his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.

"Elena, my light, you clearly feel something. Try not to think so foolishly. You are sitting in front of me, practically In shambles because you almost killed a man during a weaker moment in your life. I cannot count the number of times I had been weak in my time. " he brushed his other hand gently down her cheek, " You are not alone in this anymore. I give you my word."

Elena smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, debating on if she would ever let go as she placed her head onto his shoulder, nuzzling herself into his neck.

"Elena, are you ready to go home?" He wasn't uncomfortable by their contact, but he was still going to stand to his own morals. "To Mystic Falls I mean."

"What about Klaus?" she mumbled.

"He has been…taken care of." He spoke cryptically, "Speaking of brothers. I hear you and Kol got on quite well."

Elena laughed now, warming the Original's heart.

"He saved my life." She stated, "He told me we are even now."

Elijah stood, bringing Elena to her feet as well.

"So, do you wish to go back to Mystic Falls?" he asked her as Elena stepped back looking disappointed.

_Don't do this Elena._

"I would rather stay wherever you are." She whispered, matching his very careful tone.

Of course Elijah wanted nothing more in the word to oblige, but just as he had wanted to kiss her before, and throw her on the bed to make love to her, he needed to step back from his own emotions.

He had to hide behind the shield. He could never in her weakened mental state, allow her to succumb to him. In the long run, he feared it would only push her away. He could not lose her again.

"Elijah," Elena pulled him over to the bed where she sat, he looked down to her, and couldn't help but notice how the satin rose colored sheets complimented her complexion.

_Is she trying to tease me?_

She positioned her legs to intertwine with him while he stood before her, and rested her head on his hip bone.

"Can we stay here for today?"

"Elena…now is not-"

He would have continued on how there were more important things to worry about, and while he could sense their budding relationship, that could go in many different ways. He was never going to take advantage of her.

"I only want your company in sleep, or conversation." She had cut him off. "I am so tired Elijah."

He stepped away from her direct embrace, and moved to sit next to her on the bed. He was unsure if her intentions were true, but if she truly wanted to sleep, he would give it to her.

"If that is what you wish for, I will not deny you sleep, or conversation." He pushed her hair off of her shoulder, reminding himself that had not fed.

"I will be right back."

He only had to cross the room to the mini fridge where he removed the last two blood bags, offering her one.

She had accepted it as he tossed it to her, as he was not giving her much of a choice.

* * *

_**Please review! I would love to know what you all think so far =) Let me know if you think I should make any improvements.**_


	10. Light

_Ahhh I have been waiting to post these next couple of chapters since I wrote them several days ago. I will be updating daily. I hope you guys enjoy them!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or it's characters.  
_

* * *

Chapter Nine

Light

* * *

"_**Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."  
― Terry Pratchett, **__**Reaper Man**_

* * *

Elijah sat on the edge of the bed still as a board, while Elena kept her back against the headboard, finishing her blood bag.

She looked at the back of his head, a sense of longing overwhelming her. It was as if there was a gravitational pull between them, but she was the only one affected by it. She was Earth, while Elijah was the sun.

Her sun.

She merely revolved around him, pushing to get ever closer, but afraid if she did, he would burn her, just as he had done before.

Finally, she had to give in, If she were to be burned, then so be it. Let her burn.

"Please come sit with me," she pleaded, her eyes still surrounded by the black veins of blood lust.

_I need you here, with me._

When Elijah turned to her, she prepared to cringe away in shame at his glare. Instead of his usual stone face, he smiled fondly, and gave her a slight nod. It was not the warmest of acceptances, but she would take it over nothing.

She rubbed at her face, realizing his eyes had never become black when he fed.

The Original pushed himself towards the headboard and turned to her as if to ask _happy?_

Elena didn't ask before she curled herself into his body, breathing in his comfort. She slid herself through his legs and wrapped one arm around his torso while laying her head on his chest perfectly snug under his chin. She felt like she had just completed the one thousand piece puzzle she still had sitting in her room, half done.

It was a perfect match.

She could feel him take a deep breath, she was unsure if he was taking in the moment, or if he was nervous, no matter what his intentions had been, he relaxed.

"I missed you." She whispered quietly enough so only he could hear. Even only being without him for three days, she could never imagine doing that again.

In his own way, Elijah's calmed sense of reserve, his velvet voice and his meticulous choosing of his words managed to keep Elena in check.

He… seemed to be the only thing that kept her from going off the deep end.

She needed him, and while he told her he loved her not too long ago, she wondered if he felt the same as she did.

Elijah kissed her hair again, whispering her words in return.

She knew he meant them.

_Elijah never said what he didn't mean._

"You never came to see me in my dreams…"her tone was somber; she was disappointed he didn't fight for her sooner.

_It was only three days_ she told herself.

He grasped her hand supportively.

"There were… other matters I had to tend to…Klaus matters. Let us also not forget Miss Elena, you left. The only reason I found out was because Caroline told me. I left as soon as I realized you were in danger."

She looked up to him, waiting for more of an explanation. He forgot he never explained the "Klaus" matters he had to tend to, he was too busy being more concerned about how she was doing.

Elijah carefully explained how he went to the Salvatores to guarantee her safety if she chose to leave, he told her of Klaus' visit and their fight.

Elena placed her hand over his heart, expecting to feel a scar, but he was fully healed. It was as if the damage was never done.

He also told her how Jeremy told them where she was, how worried he was for his sister and then finally Bonnie and Stefan's involvement in Klaus' partial demise.

He made sure to save the most important for last; he knew this would affect Elena the most after all.

"Elena, if Nicklaus dies, his entire bloodline will be wiped out as well. That includes the Salvatores, Caroline and Bonnie's mother. They will all die with him. " he told her gravely. He had not intended on ruining their perfect moment, but he promised Elena at one point he would always be truthful. She had a right to know.

"Does that go for all Originals?" she asked, instead of showing panic on her face.

Elijah knew where she was going with this, "Yes. Elena, that means if I die, you die with me." He paused for a moment, "I am so sorry Elena, had I known this information sooner I never would have turned you. It is not fair for your life to be held so tightly to mine. You deserve so much better."

Elena took a moment to process all of the new information, she worried about Stefan and Damon of course, but ultimately all of her friends were affected by this.

Elijah ran his fingers gently through her long hair, toying with it as if it belonged to a doll, he whispered of promises to her that it would all work out, she was the most important to him. She was all that mattered.

"No Elijah, it's not that. You will never have to worry about anything of that sort. Your life is in no danger. As long as I know that you will be okay, as long as I know you will live, I will die for you."

The words were too powerful to come from such a young girl. The Original vampire had lived for one thousand years and the last time a woman died for him, it had turned him into a monster.

He would never have that happen again.

Elijah shook his head in frustration, pushing Elena off of his lap, he turned towards her, but his head was resting in his hands.

"Elena…do not speak like that. Please." The Original practically begged her as he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling in deep thought.

_I could never allow her to die for me. I am not worth it._ He thought with conviction. He could feel her small-framed body join his again when she placed her head under his and began to trace her fingers down his chest in boredom.

She wasn't listening to him.

"We will find a way to break the connection. We have no other choice." He whispered, more to himself than her.

She remained silent, already knowing that her decision was final, regardless of if he broke the connection or not.

She did not need to speak any words, she knew her place was with him so there were no words necessary.

They lay on the bed in silence, each in their own little worlds, when Elijah broke the void.

"My brother informed me of your fight with Nicklaus." She could feel him smile; he was impressed, even though he would never admit it. "I am glad that he didn't do too much damage. I am sorry I wasn't there." She remembered that Kol was there, Kol was the one who grabbed her from the tree plummeting towards her.

She never once expected her to have to thank him for saving her.

"It's fine." She grumbled, resituating herself.

"You cannot be comfortable." She pointed out, hardly asking, changing the subject.

Elijah didn't care, he was used to being multi-functional in his suits, and it was just always something he had adjusted to.

He ignored her as he watched her look over at the clock on the nightstand.

It was already six pm.

"Crap it's late." She laughed, sitting up.

Elijah wanted to pull her back into his arms, but he changed his mind.

"Was there anything that you would like to do?" he asked instead.

She looked to the ground for a moment in thought, but shook her head in response.

"Shower maybe." Elena looked to the bathroom door, reminding her that she had not showered since her encounter with Klaus. She could only imagine what she smelled like.

Without any more thinking, Elena slipped into the bathroom, making sure to grab a towel and her things from the room across the hall.

She considered bringing her things into this room, but she knew Elijah liked his things just so.

When Elijah heard the water turn on, he took out his cell phone and dialed Stefan's number.

* * *

Stefan and Bonnie were almost back to Mystic Falls by the time Elijah called. Thanks to the lack of traffic and no concerns for the speed limit the pair was making excellent time. The trip was going by much faster than the day before.

"_Are you two all right?" _

The Original asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah. Only about a half hour away from home." Stefan responded, "We'll be putting him right where you told us to."

"_No issues I presume?" _he asked.

"No, I would say it went smoothly. Expect some your way though. There were more hybrids on the outside perimeter of the hotel." Stefan paused for a moment, "Have you spoken to Elena?"

Elijah was quiet on the other end for a time, Stefan realized he was deciding if he should answer or not.

"_Yes. Kol was keeping an eye on her in my absence apparently."_

"Kol?" Stefan sounded surprised, now catching Bonnie's attention.

"_Yes…apparently he owed us one. I still don't quite understand." He paused again, "It's no matter. Elena is safe. She wishes to head back to Mystic Falls tomorrow."_

"Okay." The younger Salvatore was about to hang up, wondering why tomorrow would be when Elena wanted to leave, "And Elijah?"

"_Hmm?"_

"Keep her safe all right? As I said, there are still hybrids around."

"_You have no need to worry Stefan. I give you my word Elena will remain safe from harm as long as I am alive."_

They hung up, leaving Stefan to question many things.

He trusted Elijah's word only because Elena did. Elijah also knew that by saying that he would keep her safe as long as he is alive was implying forever, due to their vampire bloodline. That part he wasn't in favor of.

"Elena is okay?" Bonnie asked eyeing the trunk of the car where they held Klaus' body. Stefan nodded, still deep in thought about Elijah's words.

_As long as I am alive._

It was as if there was a promise there that he would never let go.

"You're not happy about this are you?" she asked the vampire.

Stefan shook his head slowly, not stepping out of his train of thought for another moment.

"No…not in particular Bon. I only give him a shred of belief because Elena trusts him for some ungodly reason. He is an Original and even though Elijah may be a man of his word that doesn't mean I have to trust him. "

"You mean with Elena." Bonnie pointed out the elephant in the car, "He does care for her."

Those words coming from Bonnie's lips stung. Hearing them from Elena's best friend had made it all seem more real to him. He knew things were over between him and Elena, but that didn't mean it was okay for her to run off with the first vampire she runs into…

The two remained quiet in the car for another mile, Bonnie was deep in thought, just as Stefan was.

"Stefan…There is something you should know." The witch finally spoke, her tone soft.

He looked to her completely comfortable with taking his eyes off of the road.

"What is it?"

"Well…it's about Elijah." She paused, now regretting bringing up the subject. "Well…he told Elena that he loves her."

Stefan slammed on the breaks and Bonnie could hear Klaus' body crash around in the trunk of Elijah's sedan.

"He did…what?" his tone was flat, but Bonnie could see the anger clear as day in his eyes.

Stefan knew he shouldn't have been surprised; after all, Elijah left the note that said "Always and Forever". Stefan was the one who told Elena that it meant more than she thought. It meant more to Elijah than it would have to any other vampire.

He was probably the one that put the thought in Elena's head….but Bonnie said nothing about her feelings for the Original.

"She told us before she decided to run off." Bonnie explained, interrupting Stefan's thoughts again.

So the Original tells her he loves her…and she runs away, that could be a good sign. He didn't like the idea of Elena being in any danger.

The two drove in silence until they reached Mystic Falls.

"So, what do we do now? Bonnie asked, finally realizing where they were.

"We stick to the plan," Stefan responded turning down his street. "We lock Klaus in the basement dungeon while you place a spell on the house to make sure his hybrids cannot enter."

Bonnie nodded, already knowing which spell to use.

When they pulled up to the Salvatore manor, Damon and Caroline were already waiting outside. The blonde vampire had her arms crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot anxiously.

She looked unhappy.

Bonnie opened the door and hopped out of the car, which Damon checked over, probably realizing it was Elijah's Mercedes.

"Care what's wrong?" the witch asked as Damon went to the trunk to help his brother remove Klaus from the trunk.

"Two things." She spat, her irritation showing stronger now. "One being Kol is here. " she pointed to the Salvatore house, " The second being that Elijah is not. What the hell happened now?"

"Elijah stayed." Stefan spoke as they walked to the door, his voice was ice cold and his words almost causing Damon to drop the hybrid.

"He…what?"

"Not now Damon." Bonnie scolded him. "Caroline, why is Kol here?"

The young vampire crossed her arms again, and rolled her eyes.

"Apparently, he wanted to make sure you guys got here safely." She responded, as if not believing the Original. "Not that I can understand why. "

Bonnie had to quickly explain to the vampire about how Kol helped Elena until Elijah was able to get to her, which confused the blonde.

Kol was never a helping hand.

The girls followed the Salvatores inside the house to see Kol comfortably lounging on the couch with a glass of blood in his hand. He already looked as if he owned the place.

"You know…" he stood up from the couch as if to welcome 'his' guests, "I tried to explain to poor Elena just how bland this bagged rubbish is. I guess I can see why she thinks it's all right…" he laughed at himself as he peered into the nearby mirror. "It's all you allow her to drink!"

"Kol…"Caroline warned, Bonnie could tell she had enough of this Original's antics.

Kol bounded closer to the girls, putting his glass down on the coffee table and appeared before Bonnie, taking her hand in his.

"You must be the Bennett witch. " he smiled, never breaking eye contact as he brought her hand to his lips.

"Bonnie." She responded attentively.

"Ah...Bonnie. The pleasure is all mine I am sure." He smiled, almost sweetly, but the witch wasn't going to buy it.

"And you are here because…?" she cut to the chase.

Kol laughed, making the witch jump slightly, and pointed to Stefan, who was now coming up the basement steps with Damon.

"Well, you desiccated my brother, I am here to make sure he made it back in one piece."

Bonnie was still wary of being so close to this Michaelson. She recalled the Salvatores mentioning of his "conquests" so to speak, nothing good ever seemed to come out of him being in town.

"Okay Kol!" Caroline interjected, "See? He's back. You can go now!"

Kol smiled again, still not taking his gaze off of Bonnie, and slid past the girls.

"Make sure Elijah knows that I was here. Big brother always needs to know where the recluse is after all." He called from the door, "Right now he is probably too busy with his little creation or I would just call him myself." He looked once to the Salvatore brothers and disappeared out the door.

* * *

When Elijah hung up with the younger Salvatore, his heart held heavy.

Of course he would keep Elena safe, questioning so was something he would consider an insult.

_He still loves her, _he reminded himself. He recalled how he had to bite his tongue and wonder just how well the two brothers kept her safe only a few years ago.

Now the roles were reversed.

The Original's ears pricked when he heard the water in the bathroom turned off, he wasn't going to deny being nervous, but not for the same reasons she may or may not be. He was unsure of what the girl's expectations were of tonight, staying here with him, choosing his company in sleep. Deep down he hoped she was being truthful in only wanting sleep and conversation.

He would do that for her, no more than that. He bit his tongue when he thought

_No matter how badly I want it, or she does…if she does. _He was still unsure.

Elijah turned to the window, standing to look out and admire the sun as it set, closing out the day.

"It's so beautiful." Elena was standing next to him, her long brown hair was wrapped up in a towel while she wore her blue sleep pants and a black camisole.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her, so they could truly watch it together rather than stand next to each other at hands length, similar to awkward teenagers, but he refused.

He didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"It's ironic really." Elijah whispered, not removing his eyes from the sight. The Colorado landscape was complimented by the suns darkening purple, red and yellow rays reminding the Original of an oil painting his brother had hung up in his office.

"Ironic?" Elena asked, stepping closer to the window, pressing her face against it.

"Yes. It's ironic because really, vampires are the only beings who can really see the sun and it's beauty for what it is. We can look it straight in the core and not go blind. Yet, the sun is the curse that has been placed upon us."

The young vampire, never feeling the sun's burning rays after being turned, placed her hand on the daylight necklace Elijah had made for her.

"Most of us anyway." She whispered.

Elijah looked to her and smiled, enjoying the view of the sun radiating off of her skin.

"How do you manage to stay so…positive?" she asked him, taking her hair out of the towel, "You would think after over a thousand years you would get bored with this life."

He laughed now, more to himself than out loud, and responded quickly as Elena ran her fingers through her wet hair.

"See…my family and I have each managed to embrace our extensive existence in our own…unique way." He closed the curtains now, leaving only the nightstand light on in the room.

"Nicklaus allowed his curse to consume him, hating everything about vampires and werewolves separate, wanting nothing more than to embrace his hybrid side, Rebekah…mostly chose to party through the ages or follow our brother around. Kol, when he was not daggered enjoyed nothing more than to wreak havoc on the world, to him it was his only way of proving to himself that we are better than humans. Personally, I preferred to engross myself in the arts. It was the one thing ever-changing with the times." Elijah paused again, remembering his past experiences as he continued, "Fin…in his short life, well…short compared to the rest of us, he always hated what we are. He allowed that hatred to consume him." The oldest of the family recalled his brother fondly, even if his last moments were fighting against him.

"At least in the end, he got his wish granted." He whispered, recalling how his death brought the death of his entire bloodline.

Elena noticed the Original's deep thoughts and reached for his hand.

"I'm sorry about Finn." She whispered, as if mentioning his name too loud would break his older brother. "I don't think I can ever imagine how you feel."

Elijah turned sharply to her, placing his hand on her face.

"We have both lost people we care about in this war Elena, do not single me out when my time was coming to feel the pain as well. My only regret is that I had become powerless and stupid when I could no longer protect the very hand I hold."

Elena's eyes widened in awe as she took a step closer to the Original, wishing he would take his promise of only sleep and conversation back.

Only for tonight at least.

"Elijah, I-" she began, but he put his hand up, stopping her.

"You said you wished to sleep Elena?"

She had forgotten how drained she was after being caught up in their conversation. Her body may have healed rapidly, but mentally she was barely hanging on by a thread.

She smiled at him, trying to betray the exhaustion, but the light was beginning to dim in her eyes.

"I would love nothing more, but I don't think I will be able to."

Elijah smiled, pulling out his own small bag, where he kept his sleep clothes.

_Thank god he doesn't sleep in a suit. _Elena laughed to herself as he approached her again and placed his hand on her cheek.

"_Go to sleep Elena" _He spoke firmly, yet with affection.

_Sleep._

* * *

_**Please let me know what you guys think in the reviews =)**  
_

_**Thanks!  
**_

___**Ps for those of you who haven't picked up on it, I am throwing in some Kol/Bonnie scenes around for a reason, mostly experimenting because I find them fun ha ha (Kol is too much fun to write at this point I can't resist. ) I do not personally ship them, so anyone who has any input please share =D**_  



	11. Encounters

_**I want to thank everyone for their reviews/favorites/alerts! I am so glad you guys are enjoying this =)**_

* * *

_**Death's an old joke, but each individual encounters it anew.  
**__**Ivan Turgenev**_

* * *

_Chapter Ten_

_Encounters_

* * *

When Elena awoke, she was confused. She didn't remember going to bed and falling asleep, and most importantly, she did not remember Elijah getting changed and joining her in bed.

She wished she could remember falling asleep so comfortably in his arms.

Elena did not want to move from his embrace as he laid behind her, his body pressed protectively against her back, his forehead resting comfortably against the back of her head. She grasped onto his hand, which he had placed on her arm, when she felt him stir.

"Morning." He whispered into her neck, it was not something she had expecting coming from the Original, that had basically denied her entirely when it came to any form of closeness.

_Finally, after all that work chipping away, his shields were down._

She wanted to pretend she was still sleeping, but she knew better than to try and lie to him, he would always know.

_He always knew, whether her heart was beating or not._

"You compelled me, didn't you?" she accused, running her fingers gently against his.

"Yup." He grumbled, still unmoving, like a statue. "I had to make sure you slept."

Elena shook her head in defeat, she knew he would never make a habit of it, he thought that he was helping her naturally.

"You could have at least made it more pleasant." She smirked to herself, only speaking in a whisper.

Elijah was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what she meant.

"What do you mean?" he finally asked, "By dream walking?"

Elena nodded, his head now separate from hers.

"I expected you." She sounded disappointed.

"I apologize. I thought that allowing you to sleep would be best."

_There's your problem Elijah, you think too damn much._

She smiled to herself.

_Maybe one day he won't worry about me._

Elena wouldn't deny it, she felt as if he worried about her too much sometimes, but it was a different kind of worry. Where the Salvatores would get in her way, not allowing her to do the things she wanted to do, Elijah would let her go, but keep an eye if he felt there was a threat.

Thankfully, there was no comparing the brothers to this Original.

She rolled over to face him now, and tried her hardest to stare into his deep brown eyes, however, she was too distracted but his body, which she hadn't noticed until now. He was shirtless.

"You took my advice I see. "she said with another smile, penetrating his usual personal bubble (she felt that by spending the night so closely, they had passed that bridge already.) and pressed her forehead against his.

Elena wanted nothing more than to kiss him at this moment, but even in their own new level of comfort between each other, she still allowed her self conscious side take over.

_He would only have me in my dreams._ She thought sadly, a disdainful expression shadowing her face, which Elijah picked up on right away.

"Are you all right Elena?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her lower back, pulling her closer. He was enjoying this new level of comfort between them as well, where it was always something he wanted, and he would always cherish it, his feelings needed to be put aside for now.

"Did you not sleep well?"

Elena shook her head, realizing that not only was his hand relaxing on her bare skin (something that she never would have expected from him, being as old fashioned as he was.) under her shirt, but with his body pressed so closely against hers, the part where her skin was showing was also in contact with his chest.

_Maybe this is too much. _She thought, she wasn't ready to burn just yet after all, even if she did enjoy it. There was a…different sense of security about being so close to him.

_It has to be a sire thing._ She reasoned.

"No. I actually slept perfectly. I just…" she wanted to tell him that there was a part of her that wanted more, but still the smarter side of her knew that rushing the Original would only fail her miserably. "I just…don't want to move."

_Then don't. _Elijah had wanted to tell her, he almost did tell her, but he hotel phone rang, cutting him off.

"Noo…" Elena groaned, covering them both with the blankets.

Elijah laughed quietly to himself, removing the covers and rolled himself over Elena's body, making her body tremble, in order to reach the receiver.

_Why must you tease?_ She thought with anxiety.

She watched him while he spoke on the phone, not listening to the actual conversation, but more…studying him and his movements and mannerisms. It was something she would catch him doing to her quite often.

He hung up not long after.

"Reminding us that 'Miss Penn's checkout is at ten am.' Miss Penn?" he asked, a smirk crossing the corner of his lips.

Elena returned the smile.

"I couldn't think of anything else!" she argued pushing him in the shoulder.

Elijah stood this time, rather than cause another moment between the two of them, and crossed the room to open the curtains to let the sun shine in as it rose. Doing so, gave the younger vampire a full view of his grace, something she had apparently taken for granted. While he walked ahead of her, her eyes trailed his body, never wanting to forget a single detail. Even in a pair of flannel sleep pants, the man was truly a god. Everything about him was flawless, from his broad shoulders, down past his toned abs where her eyes finally reached the 'v' point where his torso met his lower half.

_How have I missed this? _Elena wondered, turning away and biting her lip. She watched carefully out of the corner of her eye as Elijah slipped into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

Elena ran across the hall to where she had still kept her things. This was supposed to be her room, she knew, but what hotel management didn't know didn't hurt her right? She technically placed her name on all of the rooms on this floor, as a way to keep humans away.

She was also on her last few blood bags, she realized as she opened her small cooler. Subconsciously she hadn't planned for an extended trip apparently. She thought back to the last time Elijah had fed, then wondered how long an Original vampire could go without feeding.

_Hopefully a while, _she thought to herself, she would give him her blood if he needed it of course but she expected there to be more perks to being over a thousand years old. She couldn't recall him feeding the entire time he was helping her transition, and even though Elijah had cut her off in the end, in the beginning he was right by her side without being suffocating.

It had been so peaceful.

As she closed the door and began to cross the hallway, the elevator 'ding' caught her attention.

_There isn't supposed to be anyone on this floor_ she wondered, confused.

Elena's thoughts began to race.

_What if Klaus escaped?_ She wasn't given exact details of how they "took care of him"

_What if he is here?_

Panicked, the vampire ran into the other room, where Elijah was just getting out of the shower.

"Elena…what's wrong?" he asked, the Original could sense her panic from across the hall. One of the many benefits of being turned by the older vampire, so they said.

He hadn't had time to gather his clothes, so he stood before her, his body still emanating steam from the shower, in only a towel. Elena gaped for a moment, taking in the sight for permanent memory, and pushing the last one aside.

_Seriously__ how did I miss out on this?_

She shook the feeling, her body practically screaming in anticipation, and directed the Original.

"Get dressed." There was a sense of dread in her voice, but she wouldn't let her features show it, "We have company."

* * *

Klaus was officially taken care of, at least for now. Elijah hadn't told them what to do with him after that, and Bonnie wasn't sure what the best thing to do was. She wanted to kill him, but she didn't want to risk the lives of her loved ones.

For now though, he was one less thing they hadn't to worry about.

Stefan, however, spent most of his day home after the trip to Denver worrying about Elena. His friend was an entire days drive away…with an Original.

The thought made the younger Salvatore shiver.

"What bothers you now brother?" Damon asked, "This is a win for the good guys!" He noticed his brother's sullen expression, he could never be happy with the cards he was dealt.

_Always brooding…_

"This is about Elena isn't it?" he placed his hand on his shoulder, it was a supportive gesture, but Stefan only shook him off.

Damon had been fighting the urge to kill the Original since the first day he stepped foot into Mystic Falls, he has been pushing back those feelings of dread for that much longer.

Stefan was new to this dread, the threat of losing Elena had never occurred to him to be real before this.

His younger brother still hadn't responded to him, but Damon wouldn't stop there.

"Not tonight Stefan." He brought his brother to his feet. "Tonight, we drink, and regret our actions tomorrow!"

That night, the brothers arrived at the Grill, Stefan still carrying his brooding expression, while Damon tried to make up for both of them in exuberance. They were soon waved over by Caroline, who had an annoyed expression crossing her face.

As they approached her table, they saw one person they did not want to see.

"Kol." Damon grimaced, "Thought you would have left town by now."

The younger Original brother smiled, eyeing Stefan, who was glaring at him.

" I have…decided to stick around a bit longer." He was before Damon in a flash, "You see…me and Elijah's Gilbert girl became rather…close during her adventure to Denver." He spoke softly, but when he said his brother's name he made it a point to emphasize it and eye both brothers with distaste. "I just want to make sure they both make it back okay. You know, no complications right? I am not intruding am I?"

Kol took a step back, opening more space between him and the brothers before a fight broke out. He loved pushing their buttons.

"Well… you are. " Caroline spat, ignoring his obvious sarcasm.

Kol grinned in her direction, similar to the Cheshire Cat, and began to search the crowd of people hanging out at the bar.

"Funny…my brother isn't here yet. " His eyes fell on Stefan again, as if he could hear his insides about to pop. "He must be busy…you know…exploring his newest creation. Isn't that your doppelganger girl Stefan? I…can't seem to remember." Stefan stepped forward, his head looking like it may explode, but the Original kept on unafraid. "Every" he poked the younger Salvatore's shoulder in between each word " Single. Inch." Stefan went to slam him against the nearest wall, wishing that he had a stake, anything to shut this brother's trap, but Caroline stepped in between them.

"Kol…I am sure you have something better to do?" she glared at him, hoping he would just go away. Naturally that was unlikely with this brother. He loved to push people's buttons, and loved to start conflicts.

"You know, I can see why you two are both so smitten with her. She is absolutely delicious!" he peered around the blonde vampire and laughed as Damon growled a curse under his breath.

"Okay!" That is enough!" A female's voice came from behind them.

The group turned to see Rebekah walking towards them, her hair pulled to the side in a simple braid and she wore a simple blue dress with heels, yet she walked with a fierce sense of determination.

"Rebekah…" Damon eyes the Original sister, "You should have called."

"What are you doing here?" Caroline was done playing nice, regardless of Damon's feelings/

The girls glared at each other for a moment before Rebekah responded.

"Well…I came to speak with my brother. I was informed I had him to thank for my continued existence." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"And Elena too, " she reminded her with a smile.

"Ahh yes! How could I forget the backstabbing harlot who cannot seem to keep her legs closed, for not only the Salvatores, but Elijah as well." She made it a point to glare at Damon as she said this, and then her eyes travelled the group.

"Brother should be home soon Beckah. These fine gents told me he was leaving soon." Kol responded happily.

"The why isn't he answering his phone Kol?" I doubt the doppelganger can be that good." She laughed at her own joke, even though nobody else did.

"Well then, let us all have a drink shall we?" Kol sat in the nearest booth. "We can worry about Elijah later of course."

* * *

As Elijah threw his clothes on, Elena listened intently, trying to keep herself still. She could hear what must have been at least six heartbeats walking down the hall. By the way they were beating, they were not human.

Elijah soon joined her, and they listened in to find out what their uninvited guests were up to.

"_Smells like blood in here." _One of them said, his voice was hoarse and unfamiliar to both of the vampires.

"_We'll get the jump on them. _The other said, bringing Elena to a panic.

She was about to jump up and rush the door when Elijah placed a finger to his lips, and his other hand on hers.

_Hybrids. _Said his voice in her mind.

She looked to him, shocked for a moment.

_How do you do that? _She thought back emphasizing her expressions to show her discontent. _How long have you been in my head?_

_It's an Original thing. Just a little trick we picked up. Only works on those we've turned. This is the first time. I wouldn't do that._

Elena knew what he meant by "I wouldn't do that". It wasn't like Elijah to invade her privacy.

She sighed in relief as they listened carefully. The hybrids had entered the room across the hall, the room Elena kept her things.

"_Well…a vamp's been here." _Another male voice spoke. This one seemed to have a slight accent. _Nope…make that two. I can smell them both._

Elijah looked to Elena questioningly, with his head tilted to the side.

"Kol." She mouthed, when she realized he was no longer in physical contact with her, assuming that was what he needed in order to contact her through his mind, with a smile she thought about his reaction.

_Was that a hint of jealousy?_

The two remained against the wall listening as the hybrids searched Elena's room.

"_Elena is here." _Spoke a female hybrid now.

_Tara?_ Elena wondered, she wasn't surprised that the girl she met close to a year ago had been out searching for her. She seemed to be a close companion to Klaus.

" _You are sure? " _said a different female voice, this one also had a strange accent.

"_Positive. She stayed with Klaus until his brother killed her." _Tara had responded sharply, Elena remembered that she wasn't there that day, but maybe she had been…and somehow gotten away.

There was some more shuffling as they searched her things, most likely looking for a hint of where she might be.

"_We could just wait for her. She is only one vampire. It's not like we couldn't take her if she fought back." _Spoke the gruff male hybrid. _"Our orders are dead or alive, so we can have some fun first…right?"_

Elena could feel Elijah's body tense.

_Elena…we need to get you out of here. _Elijah's voice rang in her mind again. He ran to the window, training not to get the hybrid's attention, while trying the windows. They were locked, and even though he could have forced them open, he wasn't sure if Elena's younger vampire body would be able to handle the four story drop.

He wasn't about to take the chance that she would land, injured on the ground, to be met by more hybrids before he got there.

Elena continued to listen; her mind was shooting between all different plans for escape. Only one seemed logical enough to her, and that was to fight their way out.

"_You two wait here."_ Directed the woman with the accent. _"We are going to search the other rooms. She is here, I can smell her."_

Elena crinkled her nose and backed away from the door slowly, placing herself against the side wall and turning to see Elijah had already returned to her front. Leaning his head close to her ear, he whispered instead of speaking through her mind.

"We have to get you out of here." His breath was hot on her ear, but she pushed him back a step, offended for a moment, that feeling turned to anger soon after.

"No." she mouthed, not sure if she would be able to trust her tone.

Elijah shook his head in frustration. He knew the hybrids were after her, he was not about to risk her life for that.

"Do you not trust me?" he mouthed back, hurt. He reminisced about their silent conversation when Elena pulled the dagger out of his heart almost two years ago.

That was the day he opened up about his past.

Elena stared at him, almost in shock. Of course she had trusted him, why else would she put herself in such an awful position?

Why else would she be a vampire? After all, she knew Elijah was an honorable man, naturally he deserved her trust.

That didn't mean she had to listen to him though.

She smiled as she raised her hand to the door, giving it a loud bang.

* * *

_**Thank you all so much for your reviews,alerts and favorites =) **_

_**Please continue to give me your input!  
**_


	12. Macabre

_**It doesn't seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.**_

_**Anthony Hecht **_

* * *

_Chapter Eleven_

_Macabre_

* * *

Caroline felt a forced pleasure while sitting at the booth with the two youngest Originals, and the Salvatores.

_Get me out of here _she thought to herself as she put down yet another shot of Jack Daniels. Naturally, the young vampire wasn't of age t drink, but with the wonderful vampire ability called compulsion, she could get just about anything she needed.

_Maybe I should stop drinking. _She thought when she realized that she had been laughing with the Originals and their sibling bickering.

"Seriously, I don't even have a clue as to what you two are fighting about…but it reminds me why I am so glad that I am an only child." She slurred her words she had realized, when Stefan and Damon both shared at her as if she had three heads.

"Family is very serious to us Caroline." Rebekah said sharply, snapping the other blonde vampire from her buzz.

"Any news from my brother?" Rebekah asked, looking at Damon, who shook his head.

"Wouldn't know. We aren't exactly pals." He responded coolly, taking yet another swig of his drink.

"Stefan?"

The younger brother shrugged. "As I said, he should be on his way back with Elena now." The group could hear the twitch of irritation in his voice, bringing Caroline to do another shot.

"What Is your problem?" the Original sister averted her focus back to Stefan.

"He's probably pissed off because Elijah is with his girl…alone…in a hotel." Kol quipped, trying his hardest to hold back his laughter.

Rebekah made a twisted expression that ruined her usually beautiful features.

"Why is everyone obsessed with that damn wench? She doesn't even look unique!" She banged her fist on the table, jolting Caroline form her drunken daze.

"It's okay everyone." Kol piped up. "Apparently Beckah is just jealous because Elijah doesn't show her affection." Kol and Damon both laughed at the obvious sarcasm as his sister stood up and hit her brother hard in the arm and stormed off.

Damon and Kol watched her leave while Caroline had her head back down on the table.

Becoming frustrated with his business being blurted out to the group, Stefan also stood not being able to take it anymore and took his leave as well.

Once the younger Salvatore got outside of the Grill, all the while cursing at Damon under his breath, he took his cell phone out and called Elijah.

The phone rang a few times, but once again went to voicemail.

_Damnit._

* * *

"Elena…what are you doing?" Elijah grabbed her arm, preventing her from banging again.

Although he already knew it was too late.

"Try getting rid of me now." She smiled.

"_Did you hear that?_"

"_Yeah, across the hall._"

Elijah's eyes widened as he pushed her against the wall, pressing his body against hers for a moment and then pushing apart, standing against the opposite wall. The Original vampire stared at Elena intently and pressed his finger to his lips.

The doorknob began to jiggle as one of the hybrids tried to enter.

_If you have a plan, maybe you should consider sharing it with me._

She thought, hoping it had reached his mind, she still wasn't sure how that thing worked.

He didn't answer her.

The door opened then, pushing against Elena's body, trapping her in.

_Well…I guess that was your plan._

"Can I help you gentlemen?" Elijah's voice was smooth, but equally as threatening.

"What? Elijah-"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence, as the Original ripped his heart out.

Elena couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the door, but she could hear the second hybrid's heart begin to race as he was tossed against the window near the bed.

She could feel Elijah's excitement as he closed the door for Elena, smiling like he just won a prize before appearing before the second hybrid, tearing his heart out.

"Are you ready?" he chuckled slightly, "There are more on their way."

Elena's eyes lit, she may have just gotten done healing from her last fight, but she wasn't about to stop now.

"As long as you think you can keep up." She joked, nudging his shoulder, but he parried her move, pulling her closer to him with another smile.

"Are you challenging me?" he growled, pushing her through the door.

"Maybe." She winked, rushing down the hallway as Elijah chased after her.

The pair were quickly met by three more hybrids, who, unlike the others two, were ready for them.

Elena met Elijah's eyes, the two silently communicating with each other, but without using their minds.

The younger vampire swept one down to the ground with her right leg, while using her other to bring herself back up to gracefully jump back in the air. The move helped her avoid a hut from another hybrid.

The old Elena would have stopped to look at their faces, she would have wondered what their names were.

This Elena had to make sure that Elijah survived, and nothing was about to get in her way.

Her actions always managed to surprise Elijah. She always kept him guessing which is why he was in love with her.

_One of the many reasons._

He followed her trail of hybrids, as she took the third one down, ensuring each of them death.

_They are all a threat._

Elena stopped her advance when the three hybrids were down and looked to the Original, the much older vampire, for direction.

"Call Jeremy." He directed, "Tell him to pack his things. He has to come back to Mystic Falls. It's for his own safety." He handed her his cell phone and took off, in search of more hybrids.

* * *

When Elena hung up with Jeremy, she began to worry about Elijah, who had not returned. The younger vampire roamed the hallway using all of her senses to find the one who created her. She couldn't quite explain the feeling, but she felt a strong pull on her, as if strings were pulling away at her. She could only describe it was a strange longing to find him that she never felt before.

_Elijah _she thought, hoping he would be able to hear her.

Once again, there was no answer.

_I have to be doing it wrong._

Elena turned sharply when she heard a body fall behind her, instantly falling into defense mode. She held the position, embarrassed of her brief loss of concentration and saw she was standing before Tara. She was holding the heart of another hybrid in her right hand, while extending her left.

"Come now child." Her voice was smooth as she took a step in Elena's direction.

Elena took a step back, avoiding the hybrid woman's grasp.

"No?" she was confused as she continued backing away.

_I have to find Elijah._

Tara approached her quickly this time, not willing to take no for an answer.

"I wasn't asking. I have someone who wishes to meet with you." She growled, grabbing her arm.

Elena, stunned by the brash move, shook her off and quickly examined her eyes. Something was off about her, but she wasn't about to stick around and ask what it was. She took off down the hallway without looking back.

She realized then, that she had seen that glazed look she had just seen in Tara's eyes before. She had seen it on Bonnie when she was being driven by magic,

_There is a witch here._

* * *

Elijah knew he shouldn't have left Elena alone, regardless of how powerful she was, she was still so young and had little training. She also didn't realize just how many hybrids were willing to rip apart the hotel brick by brick just to find her.

He had to take out as many as possible.

The Original walked the long hallway casually watching the groups of hybrids break open the hotel room doors. It was a good thing Elena had the sense to clear the floor before arriving; there would be too many innocent casualties to count.

_Savages _he thought with anger as he watched them tear apart the rooms.

He hated the concept of Nicklaus' hybrids, even when he followed his brother the thought of such monstrosities walking the earth sickened him.

He took his anger out on them as he rushed the first group of three, beheading two of them in one movement, and then thrusting his hand into the chest of the last one.

Normally, he would have taken the time to wipe the blood off of his hands, but he didn't have any to spare.

Soon enough Elijah was rushed first, only one hybrid, which he carelessly tossed to the side as if it were a toy into two other approaching hybrids.

_Foolish._

Two more hybrids ran to him, both being met with Elijah's fists in their chests as he simultaneously tossed them into the closest wall.

_Three down…twenty more to go…_

He thought as he whipped past the other group, intentionally placing himself in the center of them all.

_I really do not have time for this. _Even though secretly, he enjoyed the fight he knew he had to get rid of the issue so he could get back to Elena.

_It was always about Elena…_

He knew he had to get both her and her brother to safety.

Elijah crouched down, ready to spring as he allowed the horde to advance on him until those closest were grabbing him by the arms, ready to rip him apart. He knew they were not prepared for a vampire of his age or power. They had no idea he was an Original, older and much stronger brother to his brother.

He laughed, drowning their assumed leader's attention.

_Do hybrids have pack leaders? I cannot imagine Nicklaus allowing such a thing._

"You won't be laughing for much longer vampire." He hissed. "We will be taking your girl with us as well…dead or alive."

The Original shook his arms, barely using his own strength, simply the threat on Elena's life awakened his protectiveness of her and that was much more powerful than anything else he could have brought out.

Hardly having to make a move, Elijah grabbed the closest hybrids and swiftly beheaded both of them.

"Do you know who I am?" he laughed. "It Is in your best interest not to consider challenging me. Or make empty threats." He quickly extended his arms, pushing the entire group of hybrids back, severely damaging all of them, even killing most.

Elijah surveyed his surroundings, as if getting lost in his own memory of a battle long ago. Some of the hybrids were in half, and some others had run off, holding onto their limbs that they did not want to lose. His power had ripped his enemies into pieces.

The Original quickly locked eyes with their leader, who refused to back down.

_Your funeral. _He shrugged. The pack leader rushed him, nearly catching Elijah off guard as he crashed through the wall. The two hurled through the next room and the pack leader went to force his vampire enemy to the ground, but he was too fast for him as he curled his body switching their position just in time. The hybrid crashed onto his back as Elijah held him down by the throat.

He could have kept the game going on so much longer, but he meant it when he said he didn't have time for any of this.

To end things for him quickly, the Original snapped his neck, preventing the pain of him ripping out his heart. He held it for a moment, but dropped it carelessly to the ground as he went to stand, even though he was soon brought back down to his knees by an excruciating pain shooting through his spine.

_Elijah?_

He could hear Elena's panicked call in his mind, he wanted to call back to her, but he remained frozen, only with the strength to move himself against the wall.

As he went to lean against the wall, he felt the piercing push tighter into his spine.

A piece of the wall that he crashed into was stuck through, just slightly tearing into his heart.

He sighed when he heard Elena call his name; this time however, it was with his own ears rather than his mind.

He tried to respond, but before he could, everything turned to black,

* * *

**_AN; Okay, I will admit, I was unhappy with how this chapter came out, so I apologize now. I tried to create something specific, buuuut I am pretty sure I failed at that (so I am glad I kept it kind of short lol)but anyway...thanks to everyone who is reading/reviewing/alerting this one and I hope you are not disappointed!_**

**_Please review and let me know what you think :)  
_**


	13. Stars

_**Are we in space? Do we belong  
Someplace where no one calls it wrong  
And like the stars we burn away  
The miles.**_

_**Tatu-Stars**_

* * *

_Chapter Twelve_

_Stars_

* * *

Stefan left the Grill, and after not hearing anything from Elijah, he began to worry. He picked up his phone again, tempted to hit the redial button, but called Bonnie instead.

"_Stefan? What's wrong?"_ her voice sounded stressed over the phone.

"I still haven't heard back from Elijah." He tried not to sound worried. Even though things between him and Elena were over, he was worried that maybe he placed his trust in the wrong vampire to keep her safe.

"_Stefan…I am sure Elena is okay. Elijah won't let anything happen to her." _

The vampire didn't like how unconvinced she sounded. None of them knew Elijah that well, the only reason they had ever placed their trust in him before was because Elena had.

That was how she became a vampire in the first place.

"_I will call Jeremy, how does that sound?"_

Stefan thanked his friend and hung up the phone, a new sense of hope coming over him. As long as they were on their way back, he figured everything would be fine.

He only wanted to know she was safe.

* * *

Elijah's ears twitched at the sound of a phone ringing obnoxiously behind him. He would have turned to see whom it belonged to, but he was still worn out and unable to open his eyes.

"_Bonnie"_ he heard Jeremy's voice. Was he back at the school?

"_Yeah. I am with them now." _Elijah tried to listen closer, but he didn't have the energy.

"_No Bon. Elena is fine. Tell Stefan she is okay and to stop worrying. Yeah apparently they had hit a little snag."_

A little snag?

Then he remembered, he got staked…by a wall.

How ironic.

"_We are going to be home in a couple of hours. Maybe two if Elena keeps driving like a madwoman."_

Elijah struggled to open his eyes, his body was still hurting from his fight with the hybrids.

He needed to feed, which was the drive he had to move, yet the only thing that could get him the strength to move.

* * *

_Elena had found Elijah in the hotel room on the opposite side of the floor, a trail of hybrid bodies led her straight to him._

"_Elijah!" she cried, running to him as he drifted out of focus._

_She stepped in front in time to catch him as he fell forward, a piece of wood piercing through his spine._

_She knew he would be fine, this had happened before, except the last time his body had dried out as if he were dead. This time he looked as though he was sleeping. His energy was too drained to heal right away._

_Worried, regardless of what she knew, Elena pulled out the piece of wood._

"_Elijah?" she asked softly, giving him a gentle shake._

_He didn't move._

_She searched for any signs of life, or death over his body, but found none._

_Give him time, she told herself. He probably just needs to rest._

_Carefully, the young vampire lifted Elijah to his feet and dragged him to the elevator._

* * *

Elena looked to Elijah when Jeremy's phone went off. She saw the slightest stir, the slightest twitch of life giving her the relief she needed.

She had been driving for hours, mostly in silence, constantly looking over to her passenger who seemed as if he was sleeping peacefully.

When Jeremy hung up the phone, Elena watched as the Original's nose began to twitch. She knew he could smell the human in the car.

"Elijah" she whispered, her eyes not on the road.

His ears pricked, acknowledging the sound of her voice and slowly opened his eyes which surprisingly were not black. Even under duress, he was able to maintain his control.

Gently, Elena reached into the center console where she held a blood bag just in case. Elijah took it cautiously, eying her brother.

She had almost forgotten that he was unconscious when they had gone to pick him up.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked him when he finished the blood.

He nodded, but she could see that he was still hungry. The bag she had given him had not been filled all the way, only leaving him with a small amount.

"I plan to be in Mystic Falls within the next hour."

She could hear Jeremy's heart skip a beat.

"Preferably without getting us killed…right?" Jeremy grumbled from the backseat. "At least me. You two would make it."

Elijah sat stone faced, holding onto his self-control the best that he could.

_Will you be okay until we get to Mystic Falls? We can stop somewhere._ She thought, looking him in the eyes hoping that he heard her.

Elijah nodded in response, hardly having the energy to process a thought at this time while Jeremy watched from the backseat, confused by their silent conversation.

"You two are so strange."

* * *

By the time the three arrived in Mystic Falls, the sun was beginning to set, closing out the sixteen hours they drove in record time.

Elena pulled in front of the Salvatore Manor after dropping Jeremy off at their old home. She would have gone in, but she wasn't sure she was ready to face those demons tonight. Instead, she turned her concerns to Elijah, who needed to feed.

She enjoyed the thought of taking care of him for once.

"Don't smirk at me." He grumbled, looking out the window as she unlocked the car doors to get out. She laughed as she met Elijah at his door.

"I'm all right Elena. Please."

He stumbled as he got out of the car, finally finding his legs again, but Elena was quick to catch him.

Smiling at him, and trying to contain a laugh, she offered him her arm which he gladly linked with his.

As they headed up the path, they were greeted by Kol.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, bounding closer. "How kind of you to join us!"

Elijah smiled slightly, leaning against Elena carefully for support.

"Are you all right?"

"He needs blood." Elena answered for him. She knew the Original would never speak of his own weakness.

The pair, with Kol not far behind, entered the Salvatore home to be greeted by the brothers while Damon quickly ran to get blood for both guests while Elena brought the Original to the living room to sit.

"Elijah." Rebekah stood from the couch, rushing her brother before they were able to get him to sit down.

"Rebekah, what a…pleasant surprise." He smiled as his sister took his other arm, pulling him away from Elena to the couch.

The younger vampire was about to say something when Damon appeared next to her. The eldest Salvatore tossed one bag to Elijah, and passed the other carefully to Elena.

"So…ready for your family reunion?" he asked the three living Originals. Elena hadn't felt Kol appear behind her, causing her to jump when he spoke.

"Whenever they are ready."

Elijah, who had already drained the blood bag stood, and gracefully crossed the room. He made sure to lock eyes with Elena as he passed her.

_They are separating us. _His spoke in her mind. She responded with a smile, her eyes shining, even though she didn't like the thought of it.

Damon led the Originals downstairs to where they held Klaus' body when Stefan approached her.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Elena turned to him, not noticing she had drifted off, still smiling.

"I am actually. Believe it or not."

For the first time in the last three years, she wasn't lying.

"Caroline and Bonnie are on their way." He stated, changing the subject.

Elena nodded, happy she was going to see her friends after her tiring trip to Denver.

The two remained in awkward silence, still standing in the living room, feeling as if they were miles apart.

"So Elena…" the young Salvatore finally said.

She looked up to him, anticipating whatever he was going to say next.

"How is…Elijah?"

His features were constricted in question, causing Elena to take a step back.

"He's…fine Stefan. We got ambushed by probably more than twenty hybrids. He got hurt." She quickly explained, "It could have been more, I am only going by the bodies I had to hop over."

Elena saw Stefan's expression shift to shock.

"Wait, what?" he yelled now, but she waved him off.

"I will explain later. It has been a really long day and I am tired."

"So you two didn't…."

"Didn't…what? Stefan?" the youngest vampire's tone was much angrier now. She knew exactly what he was implying. She also knew that he was jealous, but she didn't care.

Not anymore.

"I don't know Elena…sleep with an Original? You know…specifically the one you were just making googly eyes at as he passed by? " his tone was sarcastic, but Elena could practically feel his pain. She laughed though, beginning to feel awkward.

"No Stefan. He helped me sleep…he helped me forget."

"He compelled you." It wasn't a question.

"Only to sleep Stefan." Elena defended brazenly. She was not going to take this tone from him. Not today.

"What if he made you forget?"

"Elijah wouldn't do that. I trust him." She glared at him, although carefully. "Please don't do this Stefan." She whispered as she could see his temper rise.

"No Elena. You don't do this!" The Salvatore pushed an accusing finger into her face.

Reacting to Stefan's anger, the newest vampire grabbed his wrist, breaking it while knocking him to the ground.

She snarled for a moment, but her focus rapidly switched.

"Elena!" Elijah's voice boomed behind her as he rushed to her side, separating her from Stefan before she lunged at him again. She stared at him for a moment, not willing to fight the much more powerful vampire, then looked back to Stefan, first with distaste, then with regret as Elijah released her.

"I-I'm sorry Stefan."

She looked to Elijah one last time before running out the door, passing Caroline and Bonnie.

"What the hell was that?" the blonde cried out.

Ignoring her, Elijah quietly approached the Salvatore brother, while the other vampires joined them in the living room.

"Stefan…would you care to explain to me…what your problem with Elena is?" The Original's voice hardly showed his contempt towards the brother, his face however, where it was usually stiff, showed it all.

"Me?" Stefan's voice rose, "You are the one who did this to her! How could I be the one to hate her so much to turn her into a monster?"

The young Salvatore rushed the Original now, but was soon cut off by Kol, while Rebekah stood to the side and laughed.

"Now now Salvatore." The youngest brother smiled, "I don't want to see my brother rip your heart out. We are all friends here after all."

Bonnie was the only one who laughed at that joke.

Elijah stepped to the side. "Brother, I think I could have taken care of it myself." His tone was cold still, his expression returning to normal as he walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Rebekah asked, while Elijah turned around, cocking his head.

"Going to bring Elena back obviously. Where else would I be going?"

"I'm going with you." Stefan stepped forward, around Kol. "I should apologize."

Elijah shrugged his shoulders unaffected by the new company he would have to keep.

"She didn't go far…come on then."

Caroline and Bonnie exchanged worried glances as the two vampires, who were just about to rip each other's throats went to find Elena.

"Don't worry girls." Rebekah smiled, "Elijah has the control of a saint!" She laughed, walking to the fridge for a blood bag.

* * *

"She's probably in the woods." Stefan stated as they walked, Elijah nodded. Now that his strength had returned, he would be able to reach his mind out to find her.

"It will be quiet there…" he said ejected. He looked up to the sky, examining the stars. They never burned this beautifully here.

_Elena is probably loving this._ He smiled.

"Elijah…" Stefan began, pulling Elijah from his thoughts.

"Yes Stefan?" The Original made it clear by his presence, but he would never say anything about it.

"What do you intend on doing with Elena?"

Elijah stopped dead in his tracks, trying not to laugh.

"I'm sorry Stefan…" he put his hand up, as if stopping the Salvatore, "are you asking me of my intentions?" He had to double check just in case he was going crazy.

"Elijah…don't take advantage of her." He demanded. "Elena cares about you, and I know you care about her. So help me god if-" Elijah waved him away, cutting him off by now, done with his bantering.

"You will what Stefan? Kill me? Please do me the favor and spare me of the drama circle you brothers have created for her. I will never harm Elena and if it makes you feel any better, I am trying to find a way to sever the bloodline connection. That way you can kill Nicklaus, and then myself if that is what you see fit." He paused for a moment, "But know this. Elena is fully capable of making her own decisions. I would never force her to do something she does not want to do because of how much I care for her. It will do you a world of good to keep that in mind Stefan. "

Stefan stared at him in shock, even though he had not exactly answered his question, he had no idea what else to say.

"Now, can we please go and find Elena?"

The Salvatore shrugged, he had said his piece. Now he needed to apologize to Elena.

* * *

Elena sat by a small, shallow creek in the woods. Feeling Elijah's presence nearby she thought _Of course he would come_, while looking around at her surroundings. She layed back onto the grass, watching the stars for once being able to witness their beauty so much stronger now that she was a vampire. She loved the way they would float among the trees, like a navy blue blanket covering them shining in all of the right places to give her the view she needed. They were like pulsating diamonds stretched before her, only meant for crescent mood hung in the corner of her vision, surrounded forever by its companions. In a way, it reminded her of herself. Even when she seemed in solitude, Elena was never alone.

She could stay like this forever.

_Elena_ Elijah's voice called to her through her mind again. She smiled blissfully, but it soon faded when she sensed two vampires approaching.

"Elijah." She spoke softly, "Stefan." Her voice was more direct when addressing the Salvatore. She refused to look away from her view, afraid that her irritation may make it less beautiful the next time around.

"Stefan wanted to talk to you Elena. I thought it would be appropriate if I left you two alone."

Stefan looked to the Original. He had expected him to hover over him, but he was already gone.

"Hey Elena." He whispered, still looking around for any signs of Elijah.

"He's not here Stefan. You see…unlike some people I know, Elijah respects my privacy." She responded, still not averting her gaze.

"I am sure he's close." The Salvatore argued. Elena only tapped her temped with her pointer finger, her face twisting to a smile.

"He is just out of ear shot. Trust me."

Stefan accepted that, even though he didn't understand what it meant, and imitated her position, also gazing at the stars.

"So what's up?" she asked, "You already know I am sorry for freaking out. I guess I took a few steps backwards."

_Elijah is probably disappointed with me_ she thought to herself, in a way, that was all she cared about. She didn't want to fail him.

"I should be the one to apologize. I wasn't fair to you." He remarked, "Besides. It is none of my business."

Elena smiled, gripping her knees to her chest.

"Well then…I'm sorry I snapped your wrist." She shivered, remembering the sound of his bones cracking and looked to her companion apologetically.

Stefan laughed while standing up.

"I'm going to head back now. You know, if you are not ready to go to your house, you are more than welcome to stay at the boarding house." Elena nodded, understanding. Stefan seemed to understand how she felt.

She just wasn't sure what she wanted to do yet.

Stefan left, and his awkward yet refreshing presence was soon replaced by Elijah's relaxed demeanor. The Original stood, leaning against the large oak tree behind her, casually. He was waiting for her to accept his presence.

"Elijah."

The way she said his name warmed his heart in a way he couldn't explain.

"You don't need to hide." She turned in his direction, a look of curiosity crossing her eyes, asking him to join her.

He approached her slowly and set himself on the ground next to her.

"So how is Mr. Salvatore?" he asked nonchalantly, making it obvious he didn't actually care, he was just being polite.

Elena smiled.

" I don't really…know. He was just here to apologize. I don't think he has anything to say to me anymore." She nudged him playfully, "but you already knew that. Which reminds me, he asked me where I plan on staying." As she said this she put her hands behind her head and fell back to the ground.

"Oh yeah?" Elijah looked down to her, noting the stars reflecting in her eyes. "Have you decided if you will go back home?"

"No…" she answered quickly. Maybe too quickly, "I mean…my home is my home. I just don't know if it is a good idea for me to be…" she trailed off leaving the word _alone_ to hang in the air.

Elijah didn't force her to continue.

"Why don't you go home with your siblings?" she asked instead.

Elijah shook his head, his expression scornful.

"That is not my home, and I would rather stay close to Mystic Falls rather than my personal home in case something were to happen." he paused, considering biting his tongue, "to you I mean."

Elena looked away from him for a moment, then sat back up gracefully.

"You shouldn't torment yourself with the Salvatores on my account."

Elijah shook his head, brushing her off. To him it was worth it, it always would be.

The younger vampire looked up at the stars again and sighed.

"You know, I never actually got to enjoy the stars like I can now." She pointed to the sky. "Since I have been turned, I can see them in a different way. The night is so beautiful."

Elena turned to look at him, and was surprised to see him gazing at her, rather than the sky.

"Mr. Manners, you should know, it is rude to stare." She said it softly as she looked to the ground again, avoiding his gaze.

_Am I blushing? Do vampires even blush? _She thought, embarrassed.

"I'm not staring Elena." Said the Original, his voice was light and airy. "I am simply looking at something beautiful, just like you were."

Elena laughed to herself, trying to keep it to a low chuckle, hoping not to embarrass him, as she curved her back against his chest allowing him to wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"I wish I was more like you Elijah." She whispered delicately, catching him by surprise." I mean…you are an Original. You are you while I am just…the doppelganger. My only purpose in life was to die."

Elijah placed his fingers on her chin, guiding her eyes to his.

"You don't really believe that do you?" he asked, with a slightly irate tone.

Elena shrugged, unsure of what else there was to say. He couldn't deny why she walked the earth, no matter how hard he would try. It was nice of him to make an attempt though.

"You will do great things Elena. I promise you." Elijah's eyes locked with hers again as he lowered closer to where their noses were touching. The young vampire parted her lips to speak, but the Original caught them with his own as he whispered, "I give you my word." And pulled her lips to his, as if sealing in his own promise.

* * *

_**I want to thank you all for the reviews etc :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you thought!**_


	14. Possession

"_**If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love."  
― Thich Nhat Hanh, **__**Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life**_

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Possession_

* * *

For the next week, Elijah and Elena barely got to spend any time together. On top of never being able to see each other, they never got the chance to speak of the passionate kiss that they had shared. Neither of them however, were able to stop thinking about it.

Elena had decided to stay at the Salvatore's, without being given much of a real choice once she got the chance to explain the hybrid Tara, being possessed by a witch, trying to get her to join her. Conveniently, she had allowed the most important part of their fight to slip her mind since at the time she was too concerned about Elijah's well-being and then the Stefan drama that wasn't far behind. Unfortunately, even after their talk, that piece of the problem had only partially improved. Once she agreed to stay with them, the two brothers gave her the room closest to Stefan, while putting Elijah closest to Damon, on the opposite side of the house. If they had been trying to keep them apart, their plan was working since Elijah and his "manners" respected the brother's home.

There were times that Elena enjoyed the Original's honor and his general respect for those around him. However, times like these, his old fashioned ways were going to be the death of her.

For the entire week the young vampire never got to be alone with him, constantly being followed around by somebody or they would find pointless tasks to have Elijah help with. They were only able to exchange longing glances from across the room which the rest of the group would have been fools to have missed.

At the time, everything was still too hectic.

Once in a while, Elijah would send her a thought, something as simple as a memory of their last night alone together, or expressing his own feelings of affection to her. The Original rarely expressed emotion outwardly, but to have something so personal with him, something they could communicate between each other with smiles even in the hectic times made everything special to her. It was their own little secret, and at least they still had that.

* * *

"So…we need to find out what witch is possessing the hybrid." Bonnie stated, scanning the room where everyone, which included the Salvatores, Elena, Caroline Jeremy the three living Mikaelsons and surprisingly Tyler. The hybrid had begun seeing Caroline again secretly, which Elena thought was good for her. She wasn't one to talk about it being a good idea to avoid the Originals at any cost, but she also couldn't quite put Elijah and Klaus on the same page since his affections for her were hardly a secret.

"Well wolf-boy, do you know if this was a Klaus scheme or not?" Damon shot at Tyler, who allowed a scowl to shadow his face.

"I can't imagine him having anyone kill his own hybrid." He responded bitterly, "Have you considered Esther?"

Elijah, who had been standing next to Damon, shook his head in response to that. "As far as I know, Esther is gone. She has either fled, or her power drained her dry." The entire time he spoke, he looked solely to Elena, which made it difficult for her to look past his eyes. He only diverted his gaze one, when speaking the last two words, "For now."

"Okay, so basically we have nothing." Rebekah piped in, which started a sea of voices to travel over the group, half of them yelling at her for being rude and not having anything else better to do, the rest agreed, they seemed to be at a dead end while Elijah and Elena were the only ones who remained silent.

Bonnie, who felt very uncomfortable, surrounded by the now angry vampires, three of them being Originals, spoke again, using her voice to regain control of the bickering group.

"Elena is the only one who has had contact so far, that was over a week ago. For all we know it was just a fluke, and someone was spying in on Klaus' actions." The group quieted down, all looking to the youngest vampire in the room.

"I am going to ask around, and look through some books. Maybe if I could get some help around here, this could go by faster."

The witch's eyes burned with anguish, she wanted away from all these vampires.

"Got to love a woman who can take control!" Kol applauded Bonnie, who instantly looked to the ground.

_Is she blushing?_ Elena wondered with a laugh, _This is interesting._

"Well, lucky for us, Elijah is our resident historian. He loves old books!" The eldest Salvatore slapped the Original on the back, while Elijah passed a pleading gaze to Elena.

"All right." Bonnie agreed, feeling better that it was Elijah volunteering over Kol, while Elena wondered if Damon was trying to separate both Originals from his friends.

Everyone parted ways by lunchtime. Matt swung by to pick up Jeremy, since he was now staying in the Gilbert home.

"_Safety in numbers after all." _Her little brother told her when he made the decision.

Caroline and Tyler ran off to do…Caroline and Tyler things, while Rebekah went home, rambling about having better things to do with her time.

Elijah had gone off with Bonnie to help her with the research, as he walked past her, his fingers grazed hers slightly, but the feeling was enough to remind her that he was still there, and he was leaving her with Kol and the Salvatores.

* * *

After a while of awkward silence between them, the younger Original spoke up.

"So …why don't you and I have some girl talk Miss Elena?" Kol quipped once he heard the front door close, and as always amusing only himself. "I see you and my brother giving each other the sex eyes, yet you don't seem to be speaking?"

The younger Original brother's eyes followed hers, which had inadvertently gone to the Salvatores who tried to leave the room at the mention of Elena and Elijah.

"You might as well ask them." She shrugged, pointing to the brothers no longer caring about throwing them under the bus.

Kol's eyes flashed as he ran to block them from leaving the room.

"Now why would they do that?" he purred, getting closer to Damon's face, clearly not happy with the older brother intercepting his pending offer of helping Bonnie with her research.

"You two must want one of two things, or hey maybe even both..right? Either you want the girl dead because you incompetent jackasses cannot keep her safe if your own lives, or hers depended on it thanks to your squabbling. Or you want her to be forever miserable at the top of this horrible love triangle you have set her on."

Stefan took a step back, looking to Elena for support, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to give it. She wanted them to back off, and if a threat from the supposedly unstable Original vampire Kol would do the trick, then so be it. Besides, she knew he wouldn't hurt them, she wasn't sure why she knew it, but she did. Maybe in their time spent in Denver, they managed to build a sort of…friendship, and now her pending relationship with his brother maybe made him feel obligated to defend the two.

However, hearing the words from Kol, shooting out in blatant honesty made her remember why there would never be a triangle for her be to set on. She knew long ago, before she could even admit it, that she would never be with either of them.

"Kol…" she approached them, placing herself in between. "They mean well." She glared at both brothers now, "Right?"

Damon shrugged, while Stefan nodded, clearly being the only logical one of the pair.

"See, you know, I'm glad Elena is okay with this, thing with you two playing dolls with her life and all…but there is a problem." He looked to Elena almost apologetically before continuing. "My brother is a patient man gentlemen, but I can see how angry he is, even though he carries that stone face so well."

Elena let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. For a moment there, she had been expecting the ultimate death match between the vampires and she was stuck in the middle, as always.

_I am clearly a glutton for punishment._ She thought to herself.

* * *

Elijah could hear the bickering when he returned to the Salvatore Manor, which he should have expected knowingly leaving Kol with the Salvatores. He always found them to be nothing but little puppy dogs, drooling over the first thing that carried Katerina's face.

Bonnie wasn't going to give him the grimoirs she had, which he understood. Instead she gave him a pile of journals to scan through to see if there is ever any mention of witches possessing hybrids. Even though it was unlikely, since hybrids only recently began to walk on the earth, any form of a clue would be helpful at this point.

The Original trudged up to his "assigned" room, rolling his eyes at the thought of these two treating him like he is a teenager, when he passed Elena's on the way. Even though she wasn't in there, (he could still hear Kol defending his "honor" downstairs) he could smell her essence. Everything about Elena was wonderful, it was the simplest way to put it. She was everything he would ever need and he knew that, the kiss they had shared that night had it not already been clear to him, would have guaranteed it.

"_I give you my word, Elena." _

_He pulled the girl's lips up to his, meeting her halfway and locked in that promise, forever. He had been waiting for that moment for months, the only other kisses that they had shared had been while he dream walked with her and at that time (and he was sure even now ) she wasn't sure if it was him she had been kissing or her own subconscious telling her what she wanted. There was also the moment before he killed her, when he split his lip to share his blood in order to bring her back. While there had been some passion there, it was not the right time. _

_He remembered how as Elena had died, he felt as if they had too. He allowed his own guilt to consume him, breaking the two apart. In a way it may have been better for them, for had he not, they may not have the passion they shared now as he ran his fingers through her long brown hair in which he could feel it all returning in full force, maybe more powerfully than before. He brought his lips down to her neck, leaving the most gossamer of kisses, traveling down to her shoulder where she cradled his head, holding onto his hair as she returned the same notion, allowing her name to escape her lips between breaths._

_He was not about to ruin this moment, but damn she was going to try as she ran her hands across his body while his lips traveled her own. Now, he had her back in the grass which was slightly dampened with morning dew, the cool touch keeping both of them from burning on fire. She tugged at his hair slightly with one hand while trying to undo his belt with the other. _

_He stopped her, still so afraid to rush things between them as they had done before, causing them to nearly fizzle out. The young vampire groaned again, this time in annoyance of his common decency but also in pleasure as he held her hands above her head with one of his and held onto her hip to prevent her from moving against him and he propped himself between her legs. Releasing her hands, he ran his fingers along her jawline while gently kissing her on the forehead, she returned the kiss onto his jugular, an oddly personal place to land a kiss for a vampire, it was a place special for those closest to the receiving vampire. _

"_They say women are the teases." She whispered lazily looking away, still on the ground which brought Elijah to smile._

"_I don't know who 'they' are, but I am sure it's not true." He said with a laugh as he helped her to her feet. "Besides, we should head back before they decide to send out a search party for you."_

Elijah was snapped out of his memory, realizing he had subconsciously sprawled the journals on his desk, none of them opened. He sat down in the chair and rested his forehead in his hand, frustrated, he groaned.

As he opened the first journal, he had just begun to scan through it when he felt a presence behind him. The Original turned around to see Elena standing before him, hanging onto the molding of the door, peering in. He examined her quickly, seeing she changed her outfit from the jeans and sweatshirt to a peach sundress. Her hair was now up in a ponytail instead of falling down her back as it had before.

_Something isn't right_ he realized. He could tell, this was not Elena.

_Katerina._

Elijah rushed her, but she just stared at him curiously, as if she hadn't seen him in a lifetime. Her hand brushed gently against his cheek, soon stopping at his chin, which she guiding down towards her, and before he had a chance to react, she locked him in a brief and soft kiss.

It was different from the kiss he shared with Elena, not only was this not something he felt anything for, it was empty and false, only clarifying his original thought. Yet this woman standing before him was human, and as he broke her off of him she smiled deviously.

"Elijah my love."

When she spoke, her accent was old, of a language that he had not spoken in many centuries. The Original's brain nearly stopped functioning from going into overdrive as he stepped back, frightened.

"Tatia…"

* * *

_**Phew! Lots of stuff going on here in a way, I hope you guys are enjoying it :)**_

_**Please review and let me know what you think! (and why you think Tatia is back)  
**_


	15. Tatia

_**A/N- I took some liberties with Tatia's character, which you will see...I figure since they haven't introduced very much of her and only glimpses of what she is like I can toy with it, so between this chapter and the next you will see what Tatia is "really" like as opposed to what Elena thinks.  
**_

_**Disclaimer- Clearly I do not own Vampire Diaries but it is on my bucket list.  
**_

* * *

_**You want it all  
the greatest smile  
Who wants to deny forever?  
You're made of ice  
I pay the price  
for all your unforgiveness**_

_**-Lacuna Coil**_

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen_

_Tatia_

Elena could feel something was wrong. She had heard Elijah slip inside and walk up the stairs, but by the time he had gotten to the second floor, Kol had gotten his point across-without leaving much to the imagination- and the Salvatores had grudgingly gone their own way. It had been just her and the younger Mikaelson brother in the living room, and yet he hadn't joined them.

"Elijah must be really engrossed in those books." She whispered, shaking her head slightly bothered. She decided to go and poke her head in, thinking that maybe he could use some help.

She climbed the stairs, and once she reached the second floor she began to feel a familiar presence nearby, leaving her nerves tingling. She slowly walking down the hallway, unsure, and her keeping her guard up until she reached Elijah's room.

_Something is wrong._

She saw the door to his room was open, and went to peer in, keeping her presence as secret as possible as she could sense two people in the room.

"_Elijah my love." _ She heard her own voice speak, but something was off about it. She kept her back against the wall as she poked her head around the door frame when she saw Elijah step back abruptly, neither of them were able to see her.

"_Tatia…"_

Elena gasped, quickly putting her hand over her own mouth, but still drawing the attention of both ancient beings to where she stood.

"And who might this be?" Tatia, who stared at her as if she was watching her own reflection step before her, smiled.

"I can see the doppelgangers appeared after all." She giggled, seeming to only be pretending her surprise. "Tell me child, how does it feel to be me?"

Elena cringed at her tone, the woman's voice was rough in her accent, sending chills down her spine. The young vampire stepped forward instinctively, every muscle in her body screaming to snap the woman's neck in two.

_Relax Elena._

It was her own voice, Elijah probably knew to stay out of her head this time. She was seething mad, but only her muscles tensing would show it.

"Her name is Elena." Elijah attempted to keep his tone flat, but his anger was still surfacing. Elena could feel that he was not only angry, but confused as he stepped in front of her protectively.

"Elena, hm? How…quaint." She eyed Elijah, passing a peaceful glance to him, and a look of resentment behind him to the vampire he was protecting.

"Yes Tatia. This is Elena. And you are not her." He growled again, but the woman just laughed, playing with her hair.

"No my love….that girl is a carbon copy of me. I may have been gone for a while, but I made sure to look in the mirror before I left."

Elena's insides screamed at the way she called her "love", but her senses relaxed when she drifted into a different thought.

_She is not…me._ Elena had realized he said, instead of _she is not you _. The simple switching of words were not a mistake Elijah would have made on accident.

It made her feel slightly better, but not much.

"Elijah, what is going on?" her voice was steady, not betraying her anger. For once, Elena was doing better at hiding her emotions than the Original himself.

"You know of Tatia, Elena." He responded, not averting his gaze from the Original doppelganger.

Elena nodded, Elijah was still standing in front of her, and even though she wanted to push him away and find out for herself, she needed to keep her cool.

_Maybe I've learned more from him than I thought._

"Yes." She responded curtly, "She is supposed to be dead."

Tatia laughed at this, in a girlish way, which made Elena even angrier. It was as if she was flirting with him right in front of her, testing the buttons to see how many she could push before she snapped.

"The funny thing about death…Elena…" she spoke her name like it was poison on her tongue, "is that it's never as permanent as it would seem"

She tried to approach the vampire, but Elijah stepped in front of her again, blocking Elena's view of her.

"Why are you back Tatia?" he growled. He never trusted magic, and the Original doppelganger being back could never be a good sign, it was the works of powerful magic.

Elena glared behind him, ready to scream in anger.

_I don't need to be protected. _She thought fiercely.

_It's not you I worry about Elena. I need to find out why she is here._

Elena gasped, she hadn't realized she placed her hand on Elijah's back making it much easier for him to hear her thoughts.

"I am here for Nicklaus my love." She cooed, stepping to Elijah. She tried to place a hand on his hip but he stepped aside, leaving Elena from touching him, and away from her. The younger vampire's blood began to boil the second Elijah's past love had gotten too close. She knew if he didn't stop this soon, she was going to snap.

_When did I gain such a jealous streak?_

She knew her and Elijah were something but they hadn't quite met on equal ground yet as to what that something was. Apparently this could cause an issue.

"Klaus is gone, and no, you will not have him." Elena snapped stepping next to the Original Vampire. She was getting tired of the charade, and could tell he was too, but there was a certain fire in his eyes that prevented him from doing anything more.

Lightly, she brushed her hand against his back as she made a subtle movement, and she could feel him relax.

"Well…that's disappointing." Tatia pouted only looking to Elijah, and as if Elena no longer existed. "Elijah, please be careful. There are many more looking for him. I am the only one who is going to be kind about it. I would want to avoid any…unnecessary casualties." She slid past them, brushing against Elena, giving her the odd scent she had missed before. It wasn't vampire…but it wasn't quite human either, and paused when her back was to the vampires.

"It's such a shame. I had expected us to have a different first encounter after all of these years."

Elena turned sharply to her ancestor, ready to speak when she continued.

"I have to admit, it is a quite confusing experience to see you…still enjoying my face." She grinned to Elena, who had now had enough.

Rushing Tatia, she grabbed her by the throat, causing her to choke.

"Human enough where you need to breathe huh?" she snarled, closing tighter.

"Elena. Let her go. " Elijah requested of her, Elena was angry with him as well…but not for defending her, because she knew he wasn't, but for allowing something like this to bother her. Even though really, it wasn't his responsibility at all.

She released her only when Elijah put a calming hand over her arm, silently begging her to not spill any blood tonight.

_It's not worth it _ he told her.

Tatia coughed as she regained her voice, but before she could speak, Elijah made sure she would only listen.

"I am sorry to disappoint you Tatia. You know one thousand years is a very long time. Things have changed." He whispered, not taking his eyes off of Elena.

"Clearly not." She responded as she turned around to disappear out the door, as the two vampires allowed her to leave.

* * *

Elena wanted to ask Elijah more about Tatia, she really only knew bits and pieces of their relationship, mostly the important part being that him and Klaus fought over her nearly to the death and that she was used to bind Klaus' wolf genes. She couldn't bring herself to push him, however. He was clearly still in shock which was a disheartening sight to see in the first place. Elijah was nothing if not always put together, seeing Tatia had clearly done a number on him.

Elena wasn't sure if she liked that or not.

Soon enough, while they sat in the living room with Bonnie and Caroline, his shock turned into denial.

"It wasn't her." He tried to convince himself as he sat down on the couch. "It's not possible."

Bonnie and Caroline watched him carefully, their eyes glancing back to Elena to see how she was handling it as well. The Salvatore brothers were in their own rooms, seemingly oblivious to the incident in Elijah's bedroom while Kol had returned home.

Elena found the entire situation ironic, if that was even the word to describe it. She had thought maybe there was something more there between them, that maybe everything was finally going right. All it took was one incident to send her idea crashing around her, and even though she wanted to be in denial too, she couldn't help but wonder.

She needed to know what was happening, and she needed to know soon.

Elena looked up to Caroline, who had been staring at them both with a smile, regardless of the situation. She had always been a romantic and Elena could tell she was content to see her and the Original sitting together on the couch, even if there had been no physical contact between them. She wondered if her friend could see something she couldn't. She watched as Caroline glanced towards the basement door, it seemed like she had some of her own troubled to be concerned with as well.

"Maybe she was never dead." The blonde offered.

Elena smiled to her friend, then shifted her gaze up to Elijah, who was lost in his own thoughts. She could tell he was stressing, even though his face was ice cold.

_Don't cut me out _she thought, wondering if he would hear her.

"As far as I could tell, there was a magical presence in your room." Bonnie added her own thoughts now, "but that could just be from being brought back to life. I have no way to know without actually seeing her."

"So you think someone brought her back to life then?" Caroline asked, her idea being shot down, and Bonnie nodded.

"I can probably do a locator spell. Maybe we can find out why someone would bring her back. You said she was here for Klaus? Hopefully I can find out why. Maybe it has something to do with the witch that tried to get Elena to go with her at the hotel."

Elijah nodded, focusing on a specific spot on the floor that he had chosen to be his median.

"Do you need something of hers?" he asked, now looking at the witch.

_He still has something of hers? _Elena thought, struggling to hide her expression.

"That would be the strongest way to get it to work, otherwise I can probably use Elena's blood." She could see Bonnie read her expression as she continued. "You still have something of hers?"

To the young vampire's relief, Elijah shook his head.

"No…but Nicklaus does. In fact, he probably keeps it around his neck still." The Original stood quickly, trying to get away from the group it seemed and went down into the basement, leaving Elena to the mercy of her friends.

* * *

"Okay girl. Spill." Bonnie pushed Elena. "What the hell is going on with you two?"

The young vampire shrugged her shoulders, defeated.

"I'm not sure. Stefan and Damon have been trying their hardest to keep us separate, we've barely spoken since we've been here." She wanted to add that they had more important things to worry about, with the hybrid possessing witch who tried to get her to follow her, and now Tatia adding to it. Her feelings, no matter how much it hurt, may have to be put on hold for now.

"Well…something happened between you two." Caroline pointed out the ultimate obvious. "And for some reason, Stefan and Damon think they are keeping you safe."

Elena balled her fists in frustration.

"It's not their business." She sighed. "Elijah and I…" she paused and looked around to see if the vampire in question was anywhere near, "We kissed the night at the river."

Bonnie's eyes widened, while Caroline squealed with glee.

"So what does that mean?" the witch asked.

"Yeah how about the important question Bonnie! How was it?" Caroline was sitting on the edge of her seat now her eyes prying into Elena's.

Elena smiled shamefully, it was personal between the two of them, she felt. So she shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to go into detail.

"It was…amazing." She sighed finally the memory of that night flashing through her mind as it often did.

"So…do you at least know how he feels now?" she asked her, which was another question she didn't want to answer. She knew…at least…she thought she knew. The memories they both shared back and forth, the thoughts they had intertwined together as one…she figured made everything abundantly clear…until Tatia.

"Okay…what about you? How do you feel?" she asked again, becoming more aggressive.

Elena smiled, still passing through the memories. They had been the only thing keeping her from being upset about the fact that she had to push all of her feelings down this past week. She didn't want to get too into it with her friends, she had grown from the need to have 'girl talk' or even talking at all. Now she suffered from a different need, the need for him to be near her. Opening that wound would likely leave it infected.

"I…I do care for him." She finally answered, choosing his words carefully. "Of course it's more than that…I feel something for him that I have never felt before. I want him. I need him, but I don't know if I am convinced that he feels the same." The words poured from her lips much faster than Elena had anticipated. Caroline and Bonnie both exchanged glances, the witch motioning for the vampire to continue as if to say "Here you take this one."

"Elena…Not for anything, but don't you think you are being…I don't know, a bit blind?" Elena glared at her friend, unsure of what she meant, "I mean… he is staying here rather than his own home. Sure he makes up excuses for why he is staying here, but let's be honest here. He is staying to be closer to you."

Elena's mouth opened to argue, but she shut it instantly when she felt Elijah's presence behind her.

The Original walked over to Bonnie and handed her a necklace that draped over her palm. The witch examined it's simple beauty while Caroline peered over as well. Red and white cloth had been tightly wound to a think braid where a small stone was set in the center of what seemed to be flattened sandstone of sorts. The jewelry was simple, but held so much detail as well.

"It's beautiful," said Bonnie in awe. "Klaus had this?"

Elijah nodded gravely, still staring at it.

"Yes. He and I made it together."

"Wow." Caroline sighed, while Elena sat in silence staring at it's old fashioned beauty.

"Hand-crafted gifts are the most heartfelt." She whispered, gripping her daylight necklace thoughtlessly. She had never considered asking Elijah where he had gotten the pure silver pendant that rested between her breasts, the blue, yellow and purple gems surrounding the inner lapis lazuli stone shone brightly in the light complimenting her skin tone.

She had never considered asking if it had been made for her, or for someone else.

"Are you all right Elena?" Elijah snapped her out of her daze. She lifted her head to see him kneeling before her, wondering if Caroline or Bonnie had diverted his attention to her, otherwise he probably wouldn't have spoken his concerns out loud, at least that's what she figured until she saw the concern written all over his face. He seemed to be back to his regular composure, hopefully having pushed Tatia from his mind.

"Yes. I was just thinking" she replied quickly, probably too quickly. The Original nodded, and stood to look out the window to the full moon while Bonnie and Caroline passed curious glances to Elena.

"Say something!" Caroline mouthed, but Elena shook her head. It was late, and she was tired now. The thoughts of her meeting with Tatia had clouded her memory.

"Elijah, now would be the time to do the tracking spell, but my things are at home." Bonnie looked to Elena, giving her a slight nod. She was getting her the space she needed.

Elijah nodded, turning back to her.

"I'll drive if you don't mind." He grabbed his keys off the side table and Bonnie nodded, passing a smile to Elena while hugging Caroline goodbye.

The young vampire stood when Elijah approached her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Deep down, she was still in such a daze. Tatia may have done a number on her that she hadn't expected.

"Elena." He placed his hand on her shoulder, "I will see you when I get back?" She looked up to see a smile tugging at the side of his mouth, and she nodded her eyes finally meeting his.

_We will talk then._

His voice had been certain, even in her mind.

_He heard us…_

* * *

Elijah arrived at Bonnie's house, but waited in the car while she did the spell.

"I understand if you prefer not to invite me into your home Bonnie. I will wait out here, and we can go from there." Said the Original before the witch could say a word on the matter.

"Thank you Elijah." She didn't sound distrustful, her tone was more gratuitous. "I should trust you, since Elena does…"

"But naturally you need to be cautious. I understand. Please, go." He gestured for her to leave the car.

As he sat, waiting, he could sense her magic running through the air, it was a soothing feeling to him. Even though his siblings and other much older vampires found the serenity discomforting, the oldest of the Originals found it to be wonderful.

It was always the calm before the storm.

* * *

The witch wasn't gone for long, a simple tracking spell wouldn't be hard to cast, but when Bonnie came out of her home, she did not look happy.

"What happened?" he asked when she sat in the car.

"Well "she huffed, "I can't find Tatia." She handed the necklace back to him carefully. "She is being protected by very powerful magic.

_I always love hearing good news._

Bonnie could see his distraught reaction, so she continued.

"There is something else." She paused, waiting for a reaction she never got. "The witch Ayanna appeared to me."

She had his attention now.

"What did you just say?" he paused, realizing what she said again, "What did she tell you?" he demanded instead.

"She said the witches did a spell, they tried to take Elena first, but they took Katherine instead. Elijah…they used Katherine's body to be a host for Tatia…"

The vampire could feel his temper rise. He wanted to hit something…hard.

"Why would they do that? What does any of this have to do with Nicklaus?" he asked as calmly as he could. He had to grip onto the clutch for mental support.

"They are trying to sever the bond between the Originals and their bloodlines…which is theory is great…since that was our plan, once we figured out how to do it. Except for one very common problem."

Elijah looked to her, anticipating the rest of her explanation.

"Not only will Katherine die with Tatia tied to her, but they need Elena as well."

Elijah's eyes widened in fury, frightening the witch and thanks to her lineage, took a lot to accomplish.

"Kill Elena?" he had to double check. "For what purpose? She is already dead for all intents and purposes. She is no longer a doppelganger!"

_Why can't she just get a break already?_

Bonnie shrugged, "Ayanna told me she needs to sacrifice both doppelgangers…technically all three since it includes Tatia in order to sever the connection. Without the doppelgangers you are no longer connected to your bloodlines."

Elijah considered this, trying to think of what he could do. He didn't understand why they would want to sever the connection, and why Tatia wanted to help them even though she would only have to die again.

None of it made sense to him at all, and he needed answers.

"We cannot tell Elena." Bonnie whispered, looking out the window.

"No." Elijah shook his head. "I gave her my word I would not make decisions of her life without her."

It pained him to say so, but he gave his word.

Bonnie turned back to him, angry now.

"She will sacrifice herself. You know that!"

"I know. I will just have to convince her otherwise, we will have to figure out either another way to break the bloodline bond, or protect her from the witches. It is up to her." He stated, making the conversation final.

Bonnie got out of the car, mumbling under her breathe about stupid decisions as she shut the door. Elijah remained in front of her house for a few moments, still in shock.

He promised her that he would break the bloodline bond, he also promised to keep her safe from harm.

With an exasperated sigh, the Original turned the car on and headed back to the Salvatore home.

_What tangled webs we weave my love._

* * *

_**Please review :) I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on the interactions between Elena and Tatia (I really couldn't allow Elena not to snap *once* during this entire excursion could I? lol I felt so bad for her!)**  
_


	16. Illusion

_**Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.  
**__**Albert Einstein**_

* * *

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Illusion_

* * *

Elijah arrived back at the Salvatore home carrying a heavy heart. While he shut the car off, he wished that there was something he could do for Elena. After all, he already knew how the conversation would play out. He would tell her the truth, that they need her death, yet again, in order to break the connection, she would offer her life and would probably negotiate with the witches behind his back. It's the same game he had played with her only a couple of years before when they first met. Back then he encouraged it, being that he was the one benefiting. Now, being on the opposite side of the fence, he was not happy with the potential outcome.

Taking a deep breath, Elijah got out of the car and headed to the front door, preparing not only for the conversation he had promised Elena about her thoughts, but he would also have to explain to her what Bonnie had discovered.

He opened the front door, expecting to hear Caroline's voice since she had decided to stay and keep her company, but instead the house was quiet. At first, the Original was cautious, thinking something could have been wrong or worse, Tatia had returned. He entered the living room, searching it quickly to see Elena sleeping on the couch peacefully with a light blanket wrapped around her body.

"She wouldn't go upstairs until you got back."

Elijah turned to see it was Caroline who whispered, standing behind him.

"She would have waited all night for you, you know."

Elijah nodded, admiring Elena's peaceful presence. The sight made him realize, he longed for comfort tonight, just as she only wanted sleep and conversation from him the day in the hotel, he needed only her presence now.

"She looks so…content." He mused, the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her sleep,and he noticed Caroline nod even though she wasn't listening.

"She cares for you, I hope you know that." She pointed out, her tone slightly sharper than before. The Original turned to her in surprise.

"Elena cares for everyone, Caroline." He responded, even though he knew exactly what she meant. "Her compassion has always been her greatest gift. I am happy to see that hasn't changed."

He saw the blonde roll her eyes, a hint of Rebekah flashing through his memory.

"I meant…more than that Elijah. I don't really know what it is between you two, she didn't say exactly but she has very strong feelings for you." Elijah could see she was toying with an extremely powerful word, a word he had already expressed to her, it was a word that she shoved back down his own throat though when he made the mistake of cutting her off due to his own guilt.

_Had Elena told her she loved me?_

He sighed, biting his lip as Caroline stared at him.

"You have strong feelings for her too. So don't you dare try and play games here." She pointed an accusing finger at him, her features were sharp but her eyes were soft. He realized even she could see the turmoil circling his face.

"Don't you dare toy with her Elijah. She is a grown woman, regardless of her age. All she wants everything with you."

With those words carrying in the air, Caroline turned around and left the two to their privacy.

* * *

The older vampire watched her as she slept for only a moment, considering visiting her in her dreams, but he was too broken, too torn about their future. He knew what he wanted, and he knew what she wanted, but the thoughts of what were to come were playing a strong role in what they could be.

At least, that's what he thought…only for a moment.

He sat next to her on the couch, hoping to hold onto the memories they shared, their memory at the hotel replaying in his mind. Something so innocent and unspoken had turned into one of the most powerful encounters he ever had before.

It was unlikely he would forget it.

Elijah shifted himself, kneeling down to Elena's level and brushed the hair from her face, not sure if she wanted to be left alone or not, but the longing in his soul was practically begging for her company, even if it was just in sleep.

_Damn the Salvatores tonight _he thought has he lifted her into his arms carefully, afraid he would wake her.

The Original froze when she stirred slightly, but relaxed as she curled into his body, resting her head on his shoulder. Bringing her up the stairs and into her own bed he placed her under the covers but as he turned to leave she held onto his arm.

_As if this wasn't enough of a sign._

He placed an affectionate hand on her face and smiled as he pulled the blanket up to her chin. It killed him to let her go, but he did not want to deal with the Salvatores in the morning.

_This is their house _he kept telling himself, even if he knew they were doing it just to be difficult.

As he stood again, he could have sworn he heard mumbling from behind him.

"Elijah?" he turned back to see her staring at him, still half asleep. "Where are you going?"

"To sleep Elena. You should too, it's late."

The younger vampire shook her head, grumbling something inaudible and then looked back up to him, "Stay with me?" she asked, her voice still soft, her eyes closing again.

He knew she meant only in sleep and comfort, which was okay with him because that was all he wanted-needed-tonight.

Grabbing a change of clothes from his own room, he had given in to his desire and joined Elena in her bed. This time though it was for his own comfort and his own needs. For once he was able to show just how much he needed her.

The instant he lied down next to her, she instinctively curled against his chest, resting her head with a sigh.

"Night" she grumbled in her sleep as she pulled the blanket over their bodies, for now the third time this evening. Elijah smiled down to her taking in her peaceful aura while running his fingers through her hair. This was exactly what he needed, he couldn't have asked for anything better.

_Goodnight love._

* * *

Elena woke up the next morning curled in the bed…with Elijah.

"What happened?" she questioned, wondering why she has asked that now both times she has woken up in his arms. "When did you get back?" she asked him, looking him in the eyes, still partially asleep.

"A couple of hours ago." He responded, sitting up against the headboard. "You were asleep on the couch, so I brought you up to bed."

The young vampire smiled, partially remembering waking up as he carried her.

"And Stefan and Damon were all right with you joining me?" The urge to crawl into his lap came over her, but something held her back as Elijah shrugged his shoulders.

_Tatia…_

"What about her?"

Elena's eyes widened in frustration.

"I thought you promised me you wouldn't do that to me." She grimaced, pulling away from his body. She hated when he read into her mind intentionally to spy.

"Elena…" he grabbed her hand, about to pull her back, "It is nearly impossible when you are thinking so forcefully and there is physical contact involved. Do you not remember how this has been working for us in past experiences?"

_I am __sorry_he apologized in her mind, his eyes scanning hers pleadingly.

"I know." She whispered, pushing his hand away from hers, making sure he had no contact at all.

"Now tell me, what is bothering you about Tatia?" he asked, remaining still, as she played with the sheets.

"I don't know…" she shrugged,

_Everything?_

First thing in the morning and she already felt beaten.

"Everything in a way. I can't help it, I know your history, I know that you and Klaus fought over her…she died for you. You cannot try and tell me you don't still have feelings for her." She knew she was rambling, but now she was on a roll. "On top of everything, I can feel your emotions. Sometimes, I can't distinguish them as my own." She clenched her hands into fists as she continued, "How am I supposed to know that my feelings for you are mine? Or…if you are just feeling for Tatia?"

She could tell her words threw Elijah off more than a little as he gaped at her in surprise. Even after all the times he had told her they are not the same, she still wouldn't believe it.

"Elena, my light." He reached out and touched her face where he could feel the slightest streaks from where she had been crying, possibly from the night before. He hadn't realized he had hurt her so.

"Have the Salvatores damaged you so much in their battle over Katerina?"

Elena never considered this, she never thought about how all the times both brothers made the mistake of thinking she was Katherine Pierce.

"Elena…" Elijah continued realizing he had stumped her, "You should know the instant Tatia walked through that door I knew she wasn't right, I knew she wasn't you. I may not have expected her but I still knew." He realized he was defending himself now. Elijah was over one thousand years old and he was defending himself to her.

She began to speak again, but he put his hand up to silence her.

"And about what you feel? Elena. After everything we have been through together, where did you learn not to trust your own feelings?"

The girl shrugged now, looking like she needed to be pieced back together, while Elijah looked hurt by the thought.

"I-I don't know. I know what feelings I feel. I just what to know that I am the one feeling them." She responded slowly, in her mind the words made sense, but as she said them out loud she realized how ridiculous she seemed. "I just have these defenses up I guess. It didn't take much for you to become so cold Elijah. How was I supposed to know anything?"

The Original only smiled now, a mischievous look shining in his eyes as he pulled her close again, which she allowed.

"Elena, I love you. No doubt, no questions, nothing. It is only you. If you don't feel the same unconditional feeling as I do, you would know. Your brain would try and tell you that you love me, but your heart would push away. You cannot forge such a powerful emotion as what I feel."

Elena smiled, holding his hand tighter and fell back into his embrace, resting back onto his chest. She accepted that feeling, but she still had so many more questions that she needed the answers to.

"How are we different?" asked the young vampire, she needed to hear it for herself, and after she spoke, she could hear Elijah sigh beneath her.

"I need to know Elijah…"

"Well." He began, she could feel him disappearing back into his memories of the two Petrova women, "in comparison of certain little things, I always found the way one walks says a lot about them, Tatia walked like a noble woman, as if her feet were too delicate and important to touch the ground. Katerina on the other hand, always carried her steps with arrogance, even back in England I could see it among the long dresses. Oddly enough, you are right in between, stepping carefully yet powerfully as if deriving from your past experiences." He paused for a long moment, while Elena wondered what other little habits she may have had. She could tell he was recalling Tatia and Katherine, so she had to nudge him to continue.

"Well..as you know, Katerina Is all about her own life. She could only love herself and would only save her own life no matter who had to suffer. You, Elena, would die for those you love, regardless if there was another way…which may I add, is a endearing…and equally frustrating quality you carry. You are a brave woman, and to have managed to live this long? It is nothing short of a miracle." Elena laughed after he said that pushing his ribs slightly, but secretly agreeing. She found it intriguing how even though she was technically dead, he would still consider her alive.

"And Tatia?"

"Ah yes…Tatia...you see, where you were tormented by all of the affections from the brothers, Tatia lived for it. She wanted everyone to love her and would do anything she could to make it so. That is why she put myself and Nicklaus against each other. She enjoyed the thought of knowing two brothers would fight for her. She played the game with the entire village." He seemed pained to admit that he had been pulled into a trap. "Tatia was a beautiful woman on the outside Elena, but rotten to the core on the inside. She would be anything a man wanted her to be which made her a very conflicted person in the long run.

"But she died to save your family." Elena tried to defend her very distant ancestor, but the attempt brought Elijah to laugh.

"Oh my love, Tatia died because she was a fool."

Elena shot him a look of surprise, that was not something she would have expected him to say as he continued.

"Tatia did not believe in the spell." He continued on to explain, "She figured it would fail, and she could use the experience as her newest sob story to win over more suitors. I only discovered that after she had died, when a villager told me of the irony."

Elijah had never spoken in the tone he used just then, it was a genuine distaste, more so than he had ever used when referring to Katherine, or even the Salvatores. Elena realized that while he had loved her, probably even after she had died, now he couldn't stand the thought of her.

Now partially satisfied, the vampire placed her arm around him, as he ran his fingers through her hair. She could feel his contempt for Tatia like she had never felt before. In a way, she felt bad for bringing up the subject. She should have just let it go, but because of that, he spoke his feelings aloud, even if it made her come off as a moron.

"Will it be…over once we break the blood bond?" she asked, referring to the sharing of memories, their emotions their thoughts. That was something she held very close to her heart. It's what made them even stronger, the lack of words never complicating things until she allowed it to.

She could feel Elijah's body clench under her, he seemed nervous now.

"What?" Elena demanded, "What's wrong?"

The Original remained silent for a moment, now toying with her hair through his fingers.

"Bonnie was unable to find Tatia," he began, "Instead, te ancient witch Ayanna visited her in a vision. She told her that in order to break the bloodlines, all three doppelgangers must be sacrificed whether they walk the earth or not."

Elijah then went on to explain how Katherine was used as a vessel for Tatia's body and once they kill her, they both will be dead."

"So I need to die…" Elena pondered the thought aloud, and the Original nodded.

"Elena…don't do anything reckless. We don't know why the witches want to break the bond yet."

The young vampire nodded, deep in thought, Elijah figured it had to be her plotting yet another scheme, as she always did.

"Give me your word Elena."

She nodded again,

"You have my word Elijah," she whispered gripping his hand passing on her thoughts.

_You always do._

* * *

Her word would only mean as much as she proved it to be worth, she had learned that long ago as she reminded him, sharing her thoughts, her memories and dreams as they remained frozen in a state of comfort for a while. They did not need to speak, or make any sound. They simply shared their minds again, recalling their memories from their past, their shared betrayals, the way they managed to make it back to the start again. Each time they trusted the other, each time they felt similar feelings as they do now, but then Elena had been more caught up In the Salvatores and everything else while Elijah concerned himself with his family matters. He knew it took him leaving after his worst act upon her, where he truly risked her life, for them both to see what the other was to them.

Everything had started so quickly between them, but the moment it diffused was when they had been brought back together, again, even stronger than before.

They were snapped back to reality soon enough by Elena's hunger. The young vampire had not fed since the night before, so both of them got dressed quickly, nearly forgetting they were not to their solitude. Everyone else in the house was awake and downstairs.

Once they were both organized , they slowly walked down the stairs anticipating the stares, but they didn't care.

They were on an equal understanding between each other. That's what mattered to them most.

"How nice of you two love birds to join us" Damon grumbled, while Stefan, without looking, tossed a blood bag in Elena's direction. She caught it without effort as she continued down the stairs with Elijah not far behind.

"Thanks Damon, we feel so welcomed now." The young vampire shot back, rolling her eyes.

The couple barely had the chance to sit down before they all heard the sound of the front door swinging open and slamming shut.

"Guys! Problem!" Caroline's voice called down the hallway, bringing first Stefan to his feet.

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Elena called, also running to her friend, when she saw Stefan carrying Bonnie into the living room.

"Care, what happened?" Elena asked the blonde as Elijah went to the witch as well.

"I don't know!" she cried, "I was driving on our way here and she passed out!"

Damon was by their side in a second, finally deciding to join them.

"Did she say anything?" he asked, his eyes glaring into the living room.

The blonde shook her head.

"She mumbled something like 'get out' right before she just…fell asleep."

With a nod, the three vampires joined the Original and Stefan just in time for Bonnie to begin to come to. Elena and Caroline both sighed in relief but instantly, the witch began to scream in agonizing pain.

"Bonnie!" Stefan shouted, holding her down. The group watched in horror, unsure of what to do as their friends eyes turned a cloudly milk color.

"Bonnie? Are you all right?" Caroline asked her friend as soon as she calmed down. She went to touch her arm, but was shocked when she was shaken off.

"Vampires really shouldn't share company with witches." She whispered eyeing those surrounding her.

"Bon…It's Elena. We are your friends." The youngest vampire spoke carefully. She started to walk towards her friend, but Elijah, who had remained quiet the entire time, put his hand in front of her protectively. He knew that when a witch spoke words like that, it was meant more to be a threat.

"Don't. " said the Original as he examined the witch. "She is no longer Bonnie."

The witch turned to him with a smile, "Elijah, how nice to see you again."

"Ayanna." The Original said tactlessly, he was not surprised by the intrusion. "Would you mind giving the Bennett girl her body back?"

"Wait..what?" Damon asserted, surprised and confused.

"Clearly the witch Ayanna is possessing Bonnie. Stefan shot at his brother, "Which I am sure she will tell us why."

The witch glared towards the Salvatore, but then smiled again.

"I am not here to stir trouble, simply here to deliver a message, and also to ask for your help."

"Our help? With what?" Caroline spoke up, crossing her arms as she stood next to Damon.

"Tatia is not to be trusted. I don't know what they are doing yet, but her intentions are not honorable. She is plotting something devious, and you… " she pointed to the former doppelganger, who was now standing behind Elijah. "are at risk, you cannot allow her to cast the spell."

Bonnie's body fell to the floor after the words were said, the witch who had been possessing her had gone as quickly as she had come leaving the young witch scrunched on the floor hardly conscious, leaving Elijah and Elena to stare at her, hoping she would wake, while Damon, Caroline and Stefan turned their attention to the youngest vampire in the room, who was once again…at risk.

* * *

_**A/N**_

_**I hope you guys are still enjoying the story! The next few chapters I kind of struggled to write for some reason so they may take a bit longer to get up after some editing, hopefully I will be hit by the bug again today though :)  
**_

_**Thank you all for your support and I hope to hear more reviews (or comments?) from you guys!  
**_


	17. Presence

"_**When angels **__**visit**__** us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.**__**"**_

_**Anonymous **_

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Presence_

* * *

It had only taken a week after the visit from the powerful witch for things to begin to change among the group. Elijah had moved back into the Mikaelson Manor, claiming that he wanted to keep an eye on his siblings, but the group was convinced it was because he was tired of being told who he could and could not share a bed with, while Elena decided it was the best time to move back into her own home, she knew she needed to face her demons one way or another.

She signed the deed over to Jeremy in order to prevent any other vampires from entering their home, that way they had at least one safe spot.

"Do I have to invite Elijah in?" her younger brother asked before he signed the paperwork. Elena could see he was confused, after all, Jeremy had only heard rumors of the Original's relationship with his sister. He wasn't quite ready to admit that they could be true.

"Yes Jeremy, otherwise I'm not signing it to you at all." She joked, throwing the pen at him.

Her little brother sighed as he put his signature down on the paper.

Elena had known Elijah's intentions were to stay at the Manor, but after the first night of sleeping alone, she called him, asking for his company. Even she couldn't deny the toxicity of his presence. That one night turned to the constant of evenings afterward, each one different from the last.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bonnie was conferring with her witch friends about Tatia's still unforeseen intentions. The witch hated being left in the dark, and was not about to keep it that way.

"_So far nothing Elena. I have a few more phone calls to make though, I'm sure someone will give me something I can use."_

"All right Bon, I guess just let me know if you hear anything." Elena told her friend as she hung up the phone.

The young vampire's nerves were beginning to twitch through her body. She, just like her friend, hated surprises and did not want to get thrown another curveball.

"Is everything all right?" Elijah asked from the doorway of her bedroom.

Elena looked up from her desk and smiled. She hadn't seen him all day and had started to miss him, even though she was getting used to his night time visits. She hated not seeing him during the day, but had become comfortable knowing that their nights together would make it all worth it.

"Bonnie's having trouble finding out what Tatia is up to." She shivered, remembering the Original doppelganger and their last interaction. "How about you? Any luck?"

The Original vampire shook his head as he entered her bedroom to sit across from her at the window seat. Elena smiled, remembering the last time he had done that, the night where they had come to an understanding of each other for the first time.

_Back when we were still in our negotiation stage._

"My sister and Kol both seem to have no idea what she could be planning. Not that I am surprised of course. Rebekah is really the only one who kept any witch contacts and most of hers are dead." Elena noted the arrogance in his tone, it was always something that peaked her interest when it came to him, and listened more intently as he continued.

"It has been almost a week though, I'm sure something will happen soon enough." He held her gaze for a long moment as Elena admired the smoothness of his tone. She could listen to it for hours.

She noted in disappointment as Elijah turned away from her, checking out the window as if to make sure that nobody was watching. It gave her the opportunity to be by his front when he turned back to her.

"Yes Elena?" He questioned, taking her hand. The contact…no matter how simple, always made her feel like she may explode.

Sitting next to him at the window, she placed her face against the glass to admire the sky.

"It's not as beautiful out at it was the other night." She sighed, placing her hand on the window, she saw it was beginning to rain. In it's own way, the gloomy weather gave her a deep longing that she could not describe, the longing for his touch was something she never would take for granted.

She watched Elijah as he looked out as well, placing his hand on hers, bringing the blood to rush to her face. Even though they spend each night together, he had never taken advantage of her. The last time they had kissed was the night under the stars. Instead, in their time spent together, they would share conversation, which she didn't mind. He would tell her stories of his past travels and she while she never had much to contribute, she would usually just tell him about her day…which took very little time.

Tonight though, she needed to be reminded of how he felt, in a physical sense, and an emotional sense.

Elegantly, she pulled him closer and moved herself so she was in front of him as she pushed his back up against the glass and straddled him in his lap.

It was a bold move, but someone had to do it.

"Elena…" he tried to sound serious, but the smile pulling at the corner of his mouth betrayed his tone.

_We have been dancing this dance for too long Elijah _she thought as she kissed his neck gently while running her fingers through his hair. She was determined to make a mess of him tonight.

She knew he could hear her thoughts, and even if he hadn't…he could feel her loud and clear.

Elena could sense him about to protest so she broke away, instead pressing her face close to his.

"What's wrong?" she purred as he placed a hand gently on her cheek.

"Nothing at all." He whispered, kissing her gently. Proud to have finally gained control over the situation, he allowed his lips to travel down her cheekbone and to her neck as she giggled, her skin warming under his touch. Her body quivered, screaming for more, noting the difference in this kiss, his demeanor, the light playful way he toyed with her as he allowed his lips to travel her body while her arms and legs were wrapped firmly around his, following his lead with each movement. There was no desperation this time, now he knew her body, and what it wanted, when he needed to know where to go next, all he had to do was look into her mind, making the moments only consisting of kissing feel more erotic than something he had never experienced before.

Unfortunately, the gods had no interest of their wants and needs tonight.

"Damnit!" Elena complained when she heard Elijah's phone go off. "Ignore it." She was practically begging him, ready to resume her position but Elijah shook his head and wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her close, while using his other hand to pull his buzzing cell phone from his pocket.

"I have ignored your cell phone the three times it has gone off already, so it's probably an emergency." He pointed out. Elena growled as she rested her head on his shoulder, allowing him to hold her while he talked to the caller, who of course had to be Damon.

_He always has to be such a mood killer._

The young vampire closed her eyes, tuning out the conversation that she already knew was about to ruin her night.

She sighed when he hung up the phone.

"So…what did Damon want?" she grumbled, before going right back grazing her lips against his neck. Elijah shook his head, and she whimpered as he began to bring her to her feet.

"We need to go." He said lightly as he stood as well.

"What happened?"

"Bonnie found out what's happening with the spell. Apparently it's urgent." Before Elena could let out another complaint, he brought over her coat and placed her over her.

"It's raining." Was all he said, his voice showing his disappointment.

_Damn you for always being a gentleman._

* * *

When Elijah and Elena arrived back to the Salvatore's, everyone, including Rebekah and Kol were there waiting.

"Nice of you two to join us." Damon laughed. "What happened Elena? Lose your phone?"

Elena smiled sarcastically towards him as she walked past thinking _I tried to at least…_

"So…why are we here?" Elijah asked, sounded annoyed. He looked to Bonnie, who was sitting on the couch.

"Bon?" Elena directed to her friend, who's nose was in a book.

"Right." The witch stood up and crossed the room, making sure she had everyone's attention. "So we know that Elena is needed to break the bond of the bloodlines, right?"

All of her friends nodded, passing a glance towards Elena. She could have sworn she caught Kol giving Elijah a thumbs up out of the corner of her eye as they crossed the room.

"Well…" the witch continued, "My first thought was that they were trying to help us. I figured at least knowing Elijah's history with Tatia."

The two vampires sat on the couch now, and Bonnie noticed Elena casually resting her hand on the Original's leg.

The young vampire had not mentioned to her friends of the Originals' nightly visits.

"However, it seems that Tatia is trying to resurrect Klaus instead."

Rebekah laughed now.

"So it only took her over one thousand years to choose which brother she wanted?"

Elena passed a glance to Caroline, who was eyeing Elijah carefully, as if searching his expression for a reaction.

"That doesn't make sense," the blonde retorted. "If she wants to be with Klaus, why is she going to kill herself?"

Bonnie shook her head, unsure.

"One of my contacts told me she can still hold onto either body after the ritual with use of a different spell. I'm not sure what that spell is yet though so bare with me."

"Do you know anything else?" Stefan, who had remained quiet the entire time, asked.

The witch shook her head, but replied,

"I am pretty sure that we still have at least a week to prevent it from happening."

"Well…that should be easy. We just need to lock Elena up in our basement." Damon piped up.

"Yeah. Okay good luck with that." Caroline laughed passing Elijah a knowing glance. "Besides, don't they need Klaus to do the spell?"

It seemed Bonnie didn't have any good news for them tonight.

"No. Just like the ritual that bonded the Originals together, nobody but the castors needs to be present."

_Perfect _Elena thought, looking at Elijah to see what was on his mind.

_I can basically drop dead at any time._

Their eyes met as she passed the thought and he placed his hand over hers, which was still resting on his knee.

_I won't let that happen._ _Trust me._

Elena intertwined their fingers, taking a slight gulp.

_You know I do._

"Ahem." Kol brought the two back to focus. "Anything you two care to share with the class?"

Elena laughed and shook her head while her friends looked on confused. Sometimes she forgot that they were speaking through their minds since when they did so it was like they were all the other saw, nothing else ever mattered.

"So…do we have a plan?" Elijah asked, changing the subject.

The group's attention was all on Bonnie now, but she had nothing for them.

"I am going to look into it. For now, all we can do is wait."

"Wait for what?" Damon exclaimed, now jumping out of his chair. "For Elena to just drop dead?"

Bonnie shook her head, turning her attention to Rebekah who stood in a huff.

"So we all have to work together then?" The Original sister didn't hide the disgust form her expression.

"Now, I'm sure you didn't have anything better to do besides complain." The witch shot back, "Unless of course you want Tatia to raise your brother and then he comes back and redaggers you?"

The blonde glared at the witch, her eyes blackened with fury.

"What did you just say, witch?" she snarled, starting towards her, but Kol intervened, stepping in between them.

"Sister, relax. Why don't you go home. I'm sure we can handle it from here." Rebekah growled again, and soon disappeared out the door.

"You know…" Kol started, "That would be the second time I have had to step in the middle of a fight in this house. On that note, I will be off to make sure my dearest sister doesn't kill anyone tonight!" He waved towards his older brother, when his gaze fell on Bonnie.

"Until next time Ms Bennett!" he smiled, running out the door as well.

* * *

It killed Elijah to see the pain written on Elena's expression. She wore her mask well, he would admit, but even without looking into her thoughts, he could see the slightest tell in her eyes.

"Are you…all right Elena?" he asked carefully as he opened the car door for her. The group had broken apart with words to call the next day while Bonnie would look into the where and when of the ritual. Elena went to sit in the car, avoiding his eyes when she responded

"Of course."

She closed her own door and leaned her head against the window, not looking up when Elijah sat in the driver's seat.

"I know it's late, but would you like to do anything?" He was going to try and do anything to take her mind off of the issue at hand.

Elena eyed the clock, seeing it was close to midnight, but never answered him. She knew what she wanted, or rather what she didn't want, and Elijah knew that already.

She didn't want to be afraid.

"You don't have to be afraid." He breathed, reaching for her hand. She remained quiet, watching the lights go out at the Salvatore home as the rain pelted against the window, the sounds were echoing in her ear drums.

_How fitting._

"Don't I though?" she replied, her voice wavering. "When will it end Elijah? When will I be able to just…enjoy my life?"

The Original used his other hand, refusing to let go of hers, to start the car and pull onto the street, remaining silent and uncertain. He always fought for her, yet being the doppelganger, even in death would manage to bring her down.

Elijah drove in silence, he could sense Elena's mind buzzing in thought as he tried to push more positive thoughts into her mind, but he found it useless. She was too aware right now. He knew how much she hated the feeling, and in a way, it opened his own heart to see her bare herself like this, for once, Elena was admitting she was afraid to him. She always carried her brave front well, but seeing this side of her reminded her how human she still was.

Once they arrived at her home. He got out of the car to walk her to the door, even though he spent his nights with her lately, he had almost expected her to want to be done with tonight.

He was wrong.

"You are staying, right?" she asked before she walked in. It was the first thing she had said to him since he started driving, and when he looked at her, he saw the pleading look in her eyes.

Even if he didn't want to stay, those eyes could make him do anything, anything at all.

"Of course." He smiled, touching her face before he followed her inside.

He followed Elena closely as she went into the kitchen to grab two blood bags and slid upstairs to her bedroom where he set himself patiently on the bed while she got dressed.

Elena was having trouble keeping her head on straight. She tried to think of anything positive that would come to mind, like the fact that Elijah was sitting at her bed, waiting for her, but the idea that she could just drop dead at any moment was holding her on edge.

Once she re-entered the room, she caught the Original simply staring at the ceiling, his hands resting comfortably on his lap. She approached him and kneeled before him, resting her head on his knee, like a child would when they were tired.

"Thank you" she whispered, as he placed his hands around her face.

"Get up Elena. You don't bow to anyone." He smiled, taking her hand as he guided her to her feet.

She smiled again, still feeling so beaten, so done with everything life has thrown her, and walked to her dresser. She opened the bottom drawer that she had secretly named "Elijah's" since only his clothing resided in it. Tossing him a black pair of sweatpants, he smiled, trying to bring back some reaction in her eyes.

She fixed her hair, attempting to put it up in a decent bun while he got changed, keeping her back to him to give him privacy.

_We should be past this by now._ She thought as she turned around to stare at his bare chest only inches away.

"Elijah!" she jumped, surprised.

"Elena." He whispered in return, pulling her in a tight embrace.

The two vampires never needed to speak often, words sometimes being meaningless, seeming less heartfelt between them. Instead as he held her close, running his fingers through her hair, she silently conveyed all of her worries to him fighting the tears while she rested her head against his chest.

"Shh my love." He soothed her, leading her to the bed, "you need to sleep." She pulled him into the bed next to her, and sighed as he pulled the covers over both of their bodies, while she buried her head back into his chest, allowing the emotion to pour out.

"I can't sleep." She mumbled. "Not until this is taken care of."

Elijah chuckled, kissing the top of her head. If she wasn't so drained from the stress, she wouldn't need to sleep at all, but he hoped she would relax after she got some rest.

"Elena you still have to sleep. I will stay awake and watch over you." He whispered the words to her over their favored means of communication.

She let out another sigh once she realized how tired she was.

"All I want is to feel normal. I thought that becoming a vampire would at least help a little, but it never seems to stop!"

Elijah couldn't relate to her worries, but he could understand the need for normality. It was something he always wished to have, which is why he had separated himself from Nicklaus long ago.

"How about tomorrow, we do something normal." He offered.

"Like what? Not getting attacked by crazy hybrids?"

"I don't know. We could do dinner or something." Elena shot up off of his chest, looking at him with a smile.

"Elijah Mikaelson, are you asking me out on a date?"

The Original shook his head, "If that is what you would like to call it, then we will have at it."

"As long as I'm not dead though right?" the young vampire challenged, planting a kiss on his chest, but Elijah only raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes.

"How about as long as you sleep." He rolled her off of him, forcing her to lay on her side facing away from him while she laughed agreeing to try.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you thought :)**_


	18. Hunter

"_**If we act like prey, they'll act like predators"  
― Alyxandra Harvey, **__**My Love Lies Bleeding**_

_Chapter Seventeen_

_Hunter_

Elijah watched Elena sleep peacefully for the entire night. Once again, he considered dream walking with her, but held off. She needed the quiet tonight, and besides, she didn't invite him. As he held her against his body, he found himself checking her over and over, just to make sure she was all right, and when she finally began to stir by morning time, he sighed in relief.

"Morning." She mumbled, rolling off of his chest and onto her side, pulling his other arm around her so he held her from behind.

"Good morning, but not morning for much longer." He whispered. He finally got to look at the clock, since he avoided it for the entire night, and could see it was eleven forty-five.

"How much longer?" Her throat sounded hoarse.

"Fifteen minutes." He whispered into her ear this time as she giggled covering her face with the blanket.

"So wake me up in fifteen minutes."

Elijah smiled and continued to hold her, knowing she was not going back to sleep. He could feel her mind buzzing in frustration…and fear. Instead of talking to her and prying out what he already knew was wrong, the Original held her hand, passing through it as many positive feelings as he could muster. He had tried to do this the night before, but she was too alert of her surroundings, now was the perfect time.

He could feel her relax in his embrace as she pushed herself back even closer to him, so his head could nuzzle into her hair.

"Thank you." She whispered as he kissed her shoulder in return, tracing her fingers in his hand with his own.

* * *

Elena remained in a blissful silence, her mind finally cleared of all her worries with Elijah's assistance. The buzzing in her mind was going to make her go crazy before the ritual even happened at the rate she was going.

She knew she could have been upset with him for messing with her emotions, but she knew why he did it, and secretly she wanted him to and he probably knew that.

When twelve o clock came around, Elena grudgingly got out of the bed to get dressed, checking out the window for any signs of bad weather since it rained the night before.

"Sunny times in Mystic Falls." She mused, turning to Elijah, who just went into the bathroom to shower.

"Actually, it's going to rain again tonight." He called from the bathroom, the door still open.

_So…inviting_ she smiled, realizing that the two of them were talking as if they were an old married couple.

"You can smell the rain that far away huh?" she laughed, sniffing the air as she walked towards the bathroom. "All I smell is you…in a good way of course."

She heard Elijah laugh as she leaned against the opposite wall outside the bathroom, not looking in as he turned on the water.

"No Elena, I simply heard your brother watching the weather hardly two minutes ago."

She laughed as she heard him hop into the shower and ran downstairs, still in her pajamas.

"So Elena…is he living here now?" Jeremy called form the couch. She knew her brother was uncomfortable with the Original so close by, it also didn't help that Damon was sharing his own distaste with him.

She shook her head however, hardly paying attention as she searched her fridge for a blood bag, grabbing one for her overnight guest as well. As if on cue, her ears pricked at the sound of the water shutting off from upstairs.

Elena waited patiently as she straightened up the kitchen since Jeremy always managed to make a mess, until the Original came down the stairs in a different suit.

"Where did you get that?" questioned the younger vampire scanning him from top to bottom. He smiled as he approached her, his usual casual gait still going strong.

"I happened to know how to hide things very well." He smirked, "I hope you don't mind?" He placed the back of his hand against her cheek as he took the blood bag from her extended palm.

"No, not at all." She smiled, struggling not to allow her feet to fail at his touch.

The two vampires stood in the middle of the kitchen, simply staring at each other, making sure to hold the others gaze. To them, the world didn't exist anymore, nothing seemed to matter at that moment in time. There was no fear, no anxiety, no anger or resentment as their minds were locked to the other's, entwined together as if they belonged. This time, they played their game like a dance, each going around in figurative circles, not quite meeting in the center as they expressed their memories, her thanks for allowing her to rest peacefully, his deepest feelings for her and hers as well. Once they finally met together in their circle, both memories fell on the kiss they shared in the woods, and then the kiss in the bedroom. Once they broke apart in the memory, both of them snapped into their reality again. It was the reality they did not want to be in, they were much better when they were intertwined as one.

When Elijah's eyes cleared, he found himself staring directly into Elena's, their foreheads touching and not even realizing that they had gotten so close.

"I have to go." He whispered, snapping Elena out of her daze as well.

"What? Why?" she couldn't hide her disappointment, but he laughed in an effort to lighten the mood.

"I need to take care of some things at home." He brushed his lips gently against her forehead, "Don't worry, I'll meet you at the Salvatore's in a couple of hours, after that I believe you and I had negotiations to follow through?" Elena smiled, forgetting about the very late night call from Damon that woke her up but also remembering their deal as Elijah traced her lips with his thumb as if telling her the kiss he placed on her forehead belonged there.

"Uh…guys…When you are done with your pseudo lovemaking in my kitchen…I could really use the milk?"

The couple had been so wrapped up in each other neither vampire heard Jeremy walk in the room.

"My apologies Jeremy. " Elijah spoke for Elena, who seemed too embarrassed to react.

"I'll see you later then Elijah." She said as she walked the Original to the door, when he turned back to her as he opened it and smiled.

"I look forward to it my lovely Elena."

Elena closed the door behind the Original and put her back to it, listening for his car to pull away before letting out a long breath that she forgot she was holding.

"Are you all right Elena?" her brother questioned with his glass of milk in hand.

She nodded slowly, her hand balancing herself on the doorknob.

"Yeah, everything is great…that was just…crazy intense." She could practically feel her chest tightening, and constricting her heart as it tried to leap out of her chest.

Figuratively speaking of course.

"Intense?" Jeremy raised his eyebrow. "You just had the oldest vampire in history spend the night in your bed, which by the way…not so sure if I approve of that, and it's your morning-I'm sorry- your afternoon conversation in the kitchen that's intense?" He shook his head, ashamed, "You are doing something wrong sis."

Elena went to throw the first thing she could at him…which would have been the antique lamp on the end table, had a knock on the door not nearly made her jump out of her pjs…which she realized she was still wearing when she opened the door to see Kol staring her in the face, examining her black yoga pants and pink t-shirt.

Elijah's youngest brother whistled and laughed.

"I can see why Elijah is stuck to your side!"

"Kol?" Jeremy glared at his former college roommate "What are you doing here?"

Kol waved to the young Gilbert and laughed again.

"Here for my brother actually. Is he here?" He peered around Elena's body as if searching the house from the outside.

"No… he left barely five minutes ago." She responded, her chest still tight.

"Well now…that's disappointing." The younger, potentially less stable brother frowned. "Well I'm bored Miss Gilbert, would you care to keep me company?"

Elena pointed to herself, confused.

"Me?"

Kol nodded, extending his hand as far as he could.

"Yes maam. We are going to have some fun!"

The young vampire looked to her brother, pointing at the Original.

"Let him in?" she asked, watching Jeremy's thoughts cross his face. She knew if she didn't go out with the younger Mikaelson, he would end up wreaking some form of havoc on his own, therefore causing more damage than necessary. She also knew Kol wouldn't hurt her or anyone she cared for…except maybe the Salvatores…thanks to Elijah, and Jeremy knew that, so he obliged to inviting the Original in as he walked out the door.

"Can you keep yourself out of trouble while I get ready?" She had wanted to shower, but she would have to worry about that later now.

He nodded, pushing her up the stairs with his hands.

"Make sure you wear something…frumpy? Is that the word I'm looking for? Anyway, I don't need my brother to get jealous if you look better on my arm over his."

Elena rolled her eyes and went upstairs to get changed.

_What the hell does he have me doing?_

* * *

She returned to the living room in a simple sweater and jeans, making sure to grab a coat.

_Elijah said it was going to rain. _She thought with a smile as she recalled her morning.

Kol led her outside, even making sure to lock the door behind him, which Elena found strange.

"So where to?" she asked him, about to get in her car but the Original stopped her.

"Let's walk. I want to have some fun!"

Elena shrugged as they carried on down the street, walking towards the forest.

"So Elena, my brother spends his nights with you I gather," Kol implied, not as a question, to her. She nodded, walking to steps behind him. She only tolerated him now because he was Elijah's brother otherwise, while they had grown closer than she expected in Denver, that didn't mean she trusted him.

"Sounds pretty serious to me." He quipped. "You know you are going to have to rid yourself of the Salvatores right?" He stopped for a moment, as they entered the woods and ran to the largest tree. "Come on!"

Elena had trouble keeping up with Kol's constant demeanor change, one second he would seem threatening, then he would joke around like a child.

He was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing.

She watched as he grabbed the nearest tree branch and hung from it for a moment.

"Uh…what?" Elena frowned.

"Come…on!" he flipped over the branch to sit on top of it. "I won't bite…and neither will this tree so no worries love! Let's go!"

The much younger vampire never used her abilities just for fun. She never needed to, so to say she was rusty was a bit of an understatement.

She approached the tree and crouched down, ready to jump and when she did so, she felt like a bird for a brief moment, that is…until she missed the branch. Elena felt herself begin to fall, but Kol managed to grab her just in time.

"We need to talk to my brother about you not being let out of your kennel." He laughed as he pulled her to his branch, "not bad though for someone who clearly without their sea legs! No worries, the rest will be easier!"

_The rest? Is he __trying__ to kill me?_

* * *

Elena followed Elijah's younger brother, hopping up the tree from branch to branch, similar to a monkey. She had almost lost her footing a couple of times, but Kol managed to catch her arm each time, prepared.

Once they reached the top they were able to see the entire town of Mystic Falls sparkling under the sun.

"So…why did you bring me up here Kol?" Elena demanded, beginning to feel uncomfortable. She wondered if Elijah could sense her this high up. He ignored her however, staring at her instead.

"Have you learned your self control yet?" he asked, not caring about being blunt.

"What does that mean?" she was beginning to get frustrated.

"With human blood, straight from the source. Elijah tells me you drank from a man at the hotel and now you are frightened."

Elena eyed him angrily, not liking her personal business being put up front the way it was.

"That is not your business Kol. What? Did Elijah ask you to check up on me? Is that really why you came?"

Kol only shook his head.

"No, not at all actually. I just happen to know my brother very well Elena. It wouldn't matter to him regardless I guess. He hasn't fed from a human in a very long time…well, besides you of course."

"So If he doesn't…why should I?" she asked him, now curious as to where this was going.

"The difference between you and Elijah love…he had already become the master of control by the time he stopped. Did you know that if necessary, my brother can go up to one month without feeding as long as he does not get injured?"

He watched Elena's eyes widen with a smile.

_Nope…did not know that one._

"Yes, the rest of us can usually only go up to a week without feeding he managed to surpass us all." He nodded, his voice filled with pride for his brother. "You see…that is why if anyone can help you, it's him Elena. Otherwise I may have to drag you to the next town over and teach you myself."

Elena gasped at the thought, a cold breeze nearly knocking her off the branch.

"I'm okay Kol, really. Besides, if it was that big of a deal why hasn't Elijah said anything about it yet?" The thought of feeding off of a human again made her stomach turn.

"I wish you would reconsider Elena." He chastised, as Elena eyes him carefully. She hadn't realized just how much time had passed, the sun was beginning to go down, making it almost four in the afternoon.

"Why do you want this so bad?" She didn't understand Elijah's brother's intentions.

"I don't want you to be weak Elena." He whispered staring at her, his eyes full of intent.

"Weak? What do you mean by weak?" The young vampire was never the arrogant type, but as a vampire she never considered herself to be weak.

"I mean love, you" he pointed at her," are the doppelganger. Still, clearly, big bads all around want to make your life a living hell, am I wrong? No. I didn't think so. On top of that you have tied yourself to an Original, Elijah nonetheless. You may have made him into a soft puppy around you, but he is still a force others may want to…contain and you are his weakness. Let's not forget that by tying yourself to my brother, you have in turn connected yourself to all of us. Even Nicklaus, who…would eventually come around after trying to rip you to bits for a while." He spat the words out rapidly, as if unsure if he should say them or not. "Also, if you are ever severely injured and a human friend of yours is offering you their blood, you don't want to accidentally kill them do you?"

Elena considered Kol's logic, maybe she had misinterpreted her feelings towards him and she had trusted him rather quickly. She toyed with the wonder if that was a good thing or not, it was Kol Mikaelson after all. She could see he was about to keep going, but she stopped him.

"I don't want to feed off of a human, but maybe you're right. Maybe I need to gain control. Is there another way I can do that?" she asked, surprising herself that she would ask him for answers on anything, she felt this was a conversation she should have with Elijah.

Kol looked to her as if he had been waiting for her to ask that question.

"You see… vampires feed off of humans to live, but well…we still bleed, it's not the same, but depending on the vampire, the blood tastes just like a human's you just don't get anything from it."

She could see where this was going.

"So…you're saying I should…feed off of Elijah or some other vampire to test my control?" She raised an eyebrow, her mind going in all sorts of different directions.

"Yup. That's exactly what I'm saying. You need to gain your control that way you will be stronger, even if you don't feed off of humans that control stays with you Elena. Besides, that way you can deal with the Salvatores and their endless bickering before I have to."

_Was that a threat?_

"Whatever you say Kol. It's getting late, Elijah said we were meeting at the boarding house." She stood on the branch, briefly forgetting that she was in a tree as she did so, and she was extremely high up.

"Convenient how they make their planned "gathering" just before you and my brother go out tonight huh?"

Kol laughed while Elena looked at him in shock.

"How did you know about that? How do they know?" Elijah and her had just made their plans the night before, but Kol only shrugged.

"Word travels fast, what can I say? Maybe someone was listening in…you know…someone with really good hearing. Now come on! Jump!"

_Jump!_

* * *

Elijah arrived at the Salvatore house before anyone else.

Before Elena.

As he walked up the path, his eyes scanned the property carelessly, but searching instinctually for a trap.

"_Damon, what ever do I owe the please?" Elijah had just gotten off the phone with his witch friend Alma, who was keeping a powerful eye out for Tatia._

"_Could you get here early? You and I need to talk." The older brother responded, his voice cold and more serious than his normal tone._

Before Elijah got to knock on the door, it opened, Damon's eyes piercing into his own like daggers ready to strike.

"Please, do come in."

Elijah had no real reason to be concerned, maybe it was his own arrogance speaking, but he doubted the Salvatores would risk Elena.

That much he could hope for.

When the Original stepped through the thresh hold, he held his eyes on Damon.

"So, what is this about?"

Damon turned, walking away from him and in to the living room.

"I need your help, no matter how much it kills me inside to say so."

Elijah paced through the room, examining the small trinkets the brothers had acquired over the years, smiling at a familiar carved wooden duck.

He had made that duck himself for his sister many years ago.

_I wonder when Stefan stole this from her._

"Are you paying attention?" Damon snapped his fingers, causing Elijah to turn around with a glare.

"I am simply waiting for you to continue, "he responded, his tone unsettling, "I was unaware you needed me to direct you Salvatore."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I need you to help me…I need to save Katherine."

* * *

_**AN I know this chapter probably makes no sense, it was originally combined with the next chapter but there was no way I was going to be able to type all of that up without my hands falling off LOL**_

_**I hope you all enjoyed it, I may take a short break from this one so I can work on A Shadow's Game which is almost finished sadly even though I am stuck in a serious rut with that one.  
**_

_**Anyway, please review, let me know what you think :)  
**_


	19. Threat

_**All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened.  
**__**Maya Angelou**_

* * *

_Chapter Eighteen_

_Threat_

* * *

"I need to save Katherine." Damon's expression was completely serious, even though Elijah had laughed out loud.

"Why would I help you again?" he asked, "To save…Katarina nonetheless?"

The older Salvatore rolled his eyes, giving the Original a look as if he missed something obvious.

"Think of it this way Elijah." He began, his confidence was overbearing and Elijah knew this conversation was not about to go anywhere good. "You enjoy negotiating right?"

"Really only with Elena." He spat, "She knows what she is doing."

Damon crossed his arms, not liking the turn of his attitude but smiled like a fox.

"Well…I propose this…how about instead of negotiating with Elena, we negotiate for Elena?"

The Original didn't need to think before reacting to the brash nature of this brother. Before he could utter another word he grabbed Damon by the neck, holding his body against the wall.

"I'm sorry Salvatore… was that a threat?"

Damon opened his mouth to speak, but Elijah squeezed his throat tighter. "Now keep in mind before you answer, not only am I in the position to pop your head right off the shoulders, but I would really…truly enjoy doing so."

He loosened his grip, allowing the vampire to speak.

" I meant…before you went all hulk on me…I will not harass Elena anymore. You can have her." He choked the words out as Elijah's eyes began to burn in fury.

Elijah Mikaelson was an Original vampire, he didn't have to take this vampire's words as anything more than a mere waste of space. Had it not been for Elena, he would have considered both of the Salvatore brothers a waste of even Katarina's blood.

"Damon." He had to take a moment to ensure he didn't tear the bastard apart before he continued. His meditation that he had been practicing over the years was really paying off at this moment. "Elena is not some prize you win at the end of a battle. Where her presence is rewarding and a gift in it's own, it will do you a world of good to refrain from treating her like she is property for the dogs to tear apart in the yard." He paused again, taking a deep breath, "If she decided to be with you over me, I would not stop her. I may briefly consider her as foolish but she is her own woman and deserves to be treated as such."

Damon glared at him, Elijah's words clearly hitting a soft spot.

"You don't even know her." He grumbled, looking away.

Elijah shook his head, fighting each urge to avoid ripping his heart out.

"I will not waste my time on you with this. I do not need to explain my feelings or understanding of Elena. You want me to find a way to separate Tatia from Katarina I presume?"

Damon nodded fragilely.

"I will see what I can do. Just know that in return? You owe me a debt." The much older, much more powerful vampire finally released Damon from his grasp, "And Damon? I will collect."

Elijah turned away and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Damon on his own.

* * *

Damon never followed Elijah into the kitchen, which the Original figured would be for the best.

He found himself sitting with Stefan at the counter, sipping casually on a cup of tea that he made himself.

"Elena should be here soon." The younger Salvatore said softly Elijah only nodded as he placed his cup down on the granite.

"I assume Damon asked you to help Katherine?" Stefan looked out the archway to see if his brother was standing there. Elijah was no fool, he knew he had heard the entire altercation.

"Yes. It seems Damon's methods of negotiation need some work. Promising not to take Elena from me was not the best path to choose if you ask me."

The younger Salvatore caught a laugh in his throat, trying not to anger the already irritated Original.

"He doesn't give up."

Elijah nodded, eyeing the younger brother dangerously.

" I can't say you are much better." Stefan turned back to him, his expression empty, "Maybe currently you are more in my favor, but you both have had your share of playing her like a doll."

"The difference is, Elijah, I know Elena does not love me. That doesn't mean I want her spending any free time with an Original."

Elijah could have gone back with something smart, even though he respected the younger brother for his protectiveness. He knew Stefan at least had decent intentions, where Damon fought for her love, Stefan wanted to make sure she was safe…even if in his own way to him, that meant as long as she was by his side, and not the Original's. He opened his mouth to speak, but Stefan was already gone, leaving Elijah to his cup of tea.

After finishing it, the Original roamed the Salvatore home, noting that Damon was in the basement possibly spending quality time with the Original hybrid, and he could hear Stefan upstairs in his room. He soon found himself in the Salvatore's library this time, and while he thumbed through the books mindlessly he struggled to ignore how uncared for they were. He had assumed, due to the way Elena spoke of his love for literature, that Stefan would have at least minded the older texts.

He took his phone out disappointed, and called Alma to witch and when she didn't answer he left her a brief message only explaining what he needed so she wouldn't have to call back. It was one thing he hated about modern technology. Now you no longer had to have a conversation with someone, you could just send them a text message or leave a message on a machine. The ancient arts of language were becoming lost in time. That alone was frightening enough.

As he put his phone away, he could hear Elena's car, which was in need of new brakes, pull in front of the house. Instantly beginning to feel relief, he headed towards the living room where Caroline already stood with Bonnie and the two Salvatores.

"Hey Elijah." The blonde smiled to him, In what seemed to be a botched attempt to make whatever conversation they were having less awkward.

The Original smiled in return, and looked back when the door opened to Elena, followed by both of his siblings. The young vampire passed him a warm smile as she approached, standing before him.

_Kol? _He asked silently, _Rebekah?_

Elena shook her head as he led her to the couch.

_Let's just say it has been a long day, Thankfully Rebekah was not involved._

Elijah smiled at her frankness as he kissed her hair.

"You smell like the outdoors."

He laughed when he realized he had spoken out loud.

"That's because we had fun brother!" Kol piped into their conversation, "Remember what that was like?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow to Elena, who shook her head with her eyes wide.

He didn't need to read her mind to see she had not considered their venture fun at all.

_I need to shower._ He could hear her groan in his mind. The Original chuckled to himself and caught a glance from Kol in his direction.

"So tell me, Damon." Rebekah spoke up, getting tired of the group already, "Why exactly are we here and why couldn't you just call us?"

"Well…I would call you, but our favorite doppelganger turned vampire and her Original counterpart do not like to answer their phones." The elder Salvatore sneered. He turned his attention to Bonnie then, who motioned for him to go on.

"Anyway, as it seems…Bonnie's contact came through. We now know when Tatia plans on casting the spell, which happens to be before the full moon by the way. Apparently the usual rules of magic do not apply here." Damon scowled. "So she is casting it in three days time."

Elijah could feel Elena grip his hand, the contact surprising him as always, and he could feel her fear rushing through his body. The same feeling she had felt only the night before had rapidly come rushing back.

_It will be fine _he soothed, resting his free hand over hers. She looked into his eyes and nodded firmly. She was going to do everything she could to believe him.

"We are just trying to find out where." Damon continued, passing a glance to the Original and Elena, "Once we find out where, we will go and uh…" he looked back to Bonnie, "make friends with some witches."

The group carried on the conversation, each trying to come up with their own plan of action as Elijah stood, Elena following his movement as well.

"I have a friend of mine working on the location as we speak." He told them. "She won't fail me."

Bonnie nodded to the Original, who was only concerned about getting Elena out of the house so she could clear her mind, and his. Her panic was buzzing in his own head and even though they both held calm expressions, they needed to get out.

Elena quickly said goodbye to her friends and waved to Kol as Elijah tossed his brother the car keys, knowing Elena had been his ride. He was going to drive her home in her car and if she was still up for it, they had dinner plans tonight.

"Thanks but don't expect it to come home tonight." His younger brother winked, "Beckah and I have plans."

Elijah nodded, ignoring the subtle hints and waved his brother off. Right as the two reached the door, he could hear Damon mutter just loud enough for him to hear,

"Don't forget our deal Elijah."

The Original turned back with a glare while Elena stared between the two men, confused.

"Yes Damon, and soon enough I will collect on the debt you will owe. Trust me on that. I am a man of my word after all."

Elijah's words cut through the air like a sword, hitting both Damon and Kol.

"Ooh a debt huh?" the younger brother, sensing a fight brewing chose to intervene. "Damon, friend, you are not causing problems for my brother…again are you?" He stood before the Salvatore with a raised eyebrow, a challenge.

"We should get out of here…" Elena whispered, "and maybe bring Kol along with us." She didn't want the Original to hurt her friends, but she wasn't about to jump in between them either. She knew Damon had a habit of running off at the mouth at the least convenient times.

Elena watched as Bonnie and Caroline stood up. She knew Bonnie wouldn't want to get involved, but Caroline, to the younger vampire's surprise, seemed to be passing an angry glare towards the Salvatores, as if they had just had talked about this.

As the blonde led the witch to the door she turned to Elena, "I'm sure they will be fine" she reassured as she scurried past them, leaving them unsure of what to do.

"Don't you two have plans?" Rebekah called, "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and we will be right behind you." She stepped in front of Stefan, who had attempted to stand by his brother's side. "Besides, Kol just wants to chat…right?"

She looked to her brother, who was only smiling devilishly at Damon, and when he nodded she turned her attention back to Stefan. Elena was surprised that Rebekah was assisting Kol at all, she had assumed this silent argument between the vampires had to do with her, and Rebekah and her were far from friends.

"Elijah…Control your siblings." Requested the younger Salvatore. His condescending tone was ringing through Elijah's ears.

_They won't hurt them right?_ He heard Elena ask in his mind. The Original only shook his head, it would be foolish for them to harm the brothers, right now they needed their help whether they wanted to admit it or not.

_Maybe we should just…go then…_

Elijah could hear the uncertainty in her tone, but she pulled him out the door anyway, leaving the Salvatores alone with the two younger Mikaelson siblings.

* * *

Kol smiled as he watched Elena pull Elijah out the door.

_What a smart girl!_ He thought with a laugh as he turned his attention back to Damon, who was glaring back at him. The older Salvatore was not known to show any fear which was his greatest weakness. He was an arrogant fool at times, at least, Kol thought so.

"Did you see that Salvatore?" he grinned, teasing him frivolously, stepping closer to the oldest. He could see from the corner of his eye, Rebekah push Stefan back as he tried to rush to help his brother. She had only stayed to make sure Kol didn't get himself hurt, she didn't want Elena with her brother any more than the Salvatores did, but when two people have a common enemy, it is always best to stick together.

"Let the boys chat all right?" she sneered.

"See what…?" growled Damon through his teeth.

"Oh I mean Elena…walking out the door with my brother, leaving you here to deal with us. Yessir. The lovely Elena Gilbert as he calls her. You see, you had to go on and start a shit storm, as expected. I had a feeling you managed to infuriate my brother somehow, it helps to know every one of his expressions, since they are so few and far between. You just cannot stand the fact that after all of your tussling between the two of you that she chose Elijah. What did you do Damon? Threaten to take her away if he didn't help you with what ever it was you need?" finishing his soliloquy, he grinned even more as he saw Damon's reaction.

"I wouldn't call it that." He tried to defend himself, which only made Kol laugh harder, and become more irritated all at once.

"Consider yourself lucky." He eyed both brothers as he spoke now, "Elijah would have ripped your hearts right out of your chest had it not been for Elena, but you know what…" he paused for a moment, as if considering a plan of action, and nodded to himself as if coming to a decision. In an instant, Kol grabbed the older brother by the neck with an elated grin. He had been waiting to do that for what felt like an eternity. He decided it just wasn't enough however, and pushed his hand through Damon's chest grabbing his heart while enjoying the sound of his scream. "You should know…I'm not the nice one. I believe you consider me…unstable? Well…unstable people don't care if Elena Gilbert gets angry with them. They like to prove a point. " He squeezed harder as he watched the blood travel down Damon's white t shirt. "My brother cares for Elena. I know she would be heartbroken if something were to happen to you, and sadly…until you get the point, you get to remember this moment until you really catch me off my rocker and not in such a playful mood."

He turned to Stefan then, "Do me a favor kind sir, and grab some blood. He is going to need it." He turned his attention back to Damon, "Now, while I still have your attention. Leave Elena alone. I may not care if she hates me or not, but I don't mind her, and she makes my brother…happy. With his usual brooding self being turned around, she is something we should cherish since when Elijah is happy, I am happy…when I'm not doing my own thing of course. Now…if she wants to be with either of you sodding weasels, she can be. On her own terms." He released his heart the second Stefan returned and handing him a blood bag. "The problem is with both of you, is that you don't get that yet. Stefan, I know you are not nearly as stupid as your brother, but the same threat does apply to you as well. " Kol smiled again, wiping his hand on his shirt and turned to his sister, who remained silent, gave her a nod, and then back to Damon, who was beginning to heal.

"Have a good evening gentlemen. Try not to do anything else foolish all right?"

With that all said, the two Mikaelsons exited the manor together, leaving the Salvatores to clean up the mess.

* * *

Elijah took Elena home first after she had insisted on showering before they went out. He had almost expected her to change her mind after finding out about how much time she may have, but she told him that if these could be her last few days, she wanted to have a nice dinner with someone she cared for deeply.

He was glad she didn't cancel, naturally he wanted to do this with her as well.

Elijah waited patiently in the kitchen for her, while her brother had friends over in the living room, yelling obnoxiously at the television as they watched a football game. His ears perked as he heard the blow dryer going off upstairs, then some shuffling soon to follow while she got dressed. He could practically feel the panic from the main floor as she went through her closet. He had told her to dress comfortably and casual, but he could already tell she was going to make It a project.

Finally, there was silence, and he could hear footsteps down the staircase.

That's when he saw her.

He watched her carefully for a moment, taking in her beauty. He wondered how she could possibly be the Petrova doppelganger, she was neither of those women. Elena was beautiful, elegant and exotic in her eyes. Everything about her was perfection, and only Elena Gilbert, when told to dress simply, which she had, would be able to make it look so wonderful.

The Original was by her side in a second, admiring the dark blue halter-style cocktail dress that complimented her curves as it ended right above the knee. He laughed as he saw she had attempted to wear a simple pair of black heels, and even had her hair down, strands of it tied into a braid away from her face.

He took her hand, helping her down the last step and placed her jacket around her as she smiled, not having to say a word until she said goodnight to her brother, and they stepped outside.

"You look absolutely angelic lovely Elena." He smiled, running the back of his hand down her face.

She smiled in return, and pointed to the sky.

"It looks like you were right. It's going to rain."

* * *

They made it to the restaurant in time for the rain to begin to fall, thankfully they made it inside to miss getting pelted by the drops. Their timing was perfect, as the dinner rush was just filing out, leading them to be seated instantly. They ordered their drinks and their courses at the same time, not In an attempt to rush the night along, but more so they could spend more time talking without interruption. At first, they began talking about literature, Elena described her favorite writers, surprising the Original , Edgar Allan Poe had been at the top of her list. She claimed his work was "tasteful" and in a weird way, with the twists and turns of her own life, she felt as if she could relate to him, which is something Elijah wasn't sure if he agreed with. He had known him personally after all. They began to discuss the current news, turning down the dangerous road of politics and they disagreed, and agreed on many different topics, heavy in usual discussion. The Original, who had seen the rise and fall of empires in his time, was impressed with how well informed the young woman was.

He didn't have to tell her that of course, between their minds, while they debated, and spoke of famous writers, he told her stories of his travels through the times. The things that he had seen intrigued Elena, where most women would have been bored.

"Where do you think Rebekah and Kol went?" Elena asked as they prepared to leave. She was instantly prepared to at least pay for her half of the check, but Elijah laughed still stuck in his old ways. To him, there were some things that were non-negotiable, he had promised her dinner after all.

"They have their own hunting grounds outside of town, we each have many homes around the country, let alone the world. They are probably staying at Rebekah's. " he replied as he opened the door for her, bidding the waitress goodnight.

Elena nodded, distracted by the rain pouring from the sky and caught Elijah's hand as he went to grab his umbrella, dragging him out into the rain hugging him close to her body.

"My brother has all of his friends over." She pouted, rain drops dripping down her eyelids, "They are going to be loud…and most likely drunk."

The Original knew what she was implying and smiled, slowly edging her to the car.

"Let's get out of the rain first," he replied as he went to step forward. She stopped him, planting her lips on his as she pulled lightly on his tongue with her own. When he pulled away, she frowned, not effected by the downpour.

In an instant they were in the car.

"I guess we can go to my house then." He offered, already knowing that she expected as much.

* * *

As Elijah pulled up to his home, she knew he could feel her tense by his side.

_It's been a while… _she thought.

"If you are uncomfortable, I can take you home." His voice was always so sickeningly understanding, as though he would never judge her for any decision she made. Elena always found comfort in that, a certain level of freedom.

"No, it's fine. It's just strange coming here for a different reason."

_The last time I was here…was to find you, and beg you to come back._

She hoped he hadn't heard her, and even if he did, Elijah didn't respond.

She slid out of the car before he could open the door for her and laughed.

"It's bad enough you are driving my car." She scorned, a smile still tugging at the corner of her mouth, as he reached her, extending his hand and led her inside.

Elena admired the mansion as always, even though now it was void of people, there was still something…busy about it.

"What's this?" She pointed to a box sitting on the large oak coffee table as they walked through the den.

Elijah shrugged and unfolded the piece of paper on top.

"_You two have fun._

_Open in the morning."_

_-Kol-_

Elijah read aloud with a laugh.

"All right then. Did you want to wash up? You are soaking wet." He pointed out to her and Elena nodded, following Elijah upstairs where he led her to his room, his personal bathroom connected to it.

She examined the room closely, amazed at how…personal everything was. She couldn't believe the ancient artwork he openly displayed on the walls, everything in the bedroom was like one large timeline all starting from one thousand years ago. She felt like a child in a toy store for a moment, wanting to brush her fingers across the ancient Nordic masks he had displayed on a stand, but she was soon snapped from her amazement by a swift breeze, only a draft. Elena turned to see two French doors leading to the outside where the rain was still pelting down on the balcony.

Before she gave him the chance to object, the young vampire was standing out in the balcony in the pouring rain, while he watched from the doorway.

"I didn't think rain could hurt Originals" she laughed as he raised an eyebrow. "Come on!" She lifted herself onto the ledge, facing him. Elijah shook his head with a smile, giving in as he approached her, holding her by the waist protectively.

"See? Look, you are still in one piece!" She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He frowned, realizing her dress was probably ruined, but noticed she didn't seem to care, she was too busy staring into his eyes.

They were alone now, and with her phone downstairs and off and his phone she had pickpocketed when they were in the rain, was also downstairs. Nobody was going to bother them tonight.

She didn't give him the chance to react as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer and locking his lips with hers. At first, he wanted to break apart from her, and pull her back into the bedroom where it was at least dry, but she was holding onto him tight. Grabbing onto her thigh for support, he could taste Elena's smile against his lips as she dug her nails into the back of his neck. He found himself running his hand slowly up her thigh, under her dress as they kissed, the rain hardly bothering him now. He knew she could feel his arousal as she lowered her head down to his neck, pulling slightly at his skin. The tease, which is exactly what it was, could have brought him to his knees had he not had better self-control.

She knew he wanted this as badly as she did.

"Elena-" he groaned, picking her up off the banister and rushing her onto the bed.

He wanted her now, that much was painfully obvious and he was done hiding behind his resolve. He was prepared to show her just how dangerous he really was.

She laughed again, not done teasing him yet, as she toyed with his shirt pulling him in for another kiss, his hair was wet, dripping onto her bare shoulders.

_I know what you are doing._

He was unable to speak out loud, the animalistic behaviors of his counterpart, and his own had taken over now, leaving them both speechless. After all the build up, and stress between them, both vampires were ready to explode and they fought to keep it contained.

_Do you want me to stop? _ He heard her reply as she fussed with his clothes.

_No._

* * *

_**I really enjoyed writing this chapter, writing Kol's character like this (and leaving so many subtle hints behind about his character) was a lot of fun, and I was so glad that I was able to put him in the position to say something to the Salvatores. **  
_

_**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and let me know what you think!  
**_


	20. Wicked

_**On the first page of our story  
The future seemed so bright  
And this thing turned out so evil  
I don't know why I'm still surprised  
Even angels have their wicked schemes**_

* * *

_Chapter Nineteen_

_Wicked_

* * *

Elena awoke the next morning with Elijah still by her side, casually stroking her bare leg up her inner thigh.

"Again?" she asked, turning towards him as he pressed against her naked body. She saw him smile before images began to flash through her mind, their bodies colliding roughly against the wall, the way he held her legs separate as he tasted each inch of her. Her hands balled into fists as she remembered him pressing her against the wall, facing it while he stood behind her grasping her breasts and gave just the slightest prick against her neck to taste her blood. She had allowed Elijah to take more than a slight taste after that, recalling how much he enjoyed it, and more importantly…how much she did as well. She caught herself moaning slightly, snapping her from the memories,

"Hey!" she groaned, realizing he was just teasing her, "That's not fair!" She pulled him in with a kiss as he felt her neck, right where he had bitten her.

"I'm sorry about that…"

Elena looked to him in surprise, he should know better than to apologize.

"I don't remember complaining." She laughed, placing a kiss on his jugular, as if matching her own invisible mark.

In all of the excitement (and other things) she had nearly forgotten about her conversation with Kol, and now would be the perfect time to bring that up.

"Besides…not trying to ruin our perfect morning or anything…but it reminds me. I have to ask you something."

Elijah's raised her eyebrows in question as he pulled her against him again by her hip, leaving his hand in place.

"I cannot imagine anything ruining my morning now, so please ask away Elena."

_Nothing like good old fashioned pillow talk right? I think we have become the masters of this by now…_

"Well, Kol was pressuring me to feed on live…humans yesterday." She began wishing she could word her sentence differently as soon as she saw Elijah's eyes darken.

"That is not his place. I will have to have a word with him." He cut her off and she could feel his frustration pouring through her skin.

"No Elijah," she shook her head, and placed a calming hand on his cheek, "he made a good argument and respected my wishes in the end so I can't fault him. He is different from me and I can understand that. " she rambled slightly, "Anyway, he said if I didn't want to feed off of a human, but wanted to gain control…I could…" she trailed off, feeling too embarrassed to say the words aloud and instead, shared the memory of her conversation on top of the trees with his brother.

Elijah cocked his head to the side in thought, and then nodded carefully.

"Never mind, don't even worry about it." She stammered, now feeling out of place.

_How else do you go about asking the oldest vampire __ever__ if you can drink his blood?_

The Original however, smiled and sat up as Elena followed suit.

"I never asked you to do it because I don't want to make you feel like you have to do something you don't want to. I would have mentioned it in time and don't feel embarrassed." He managed to alleviate her stress instantly, which she was grateful for.

"I never knew it was practical for vampires to…feed off of one another."

Elijah shook his head as he wrapped the blue silk sheet around her body, reminding her of her now ruined dress.

"It's not actually. It is a much more common practice within my family, but really only myself and Nicklaus ever would. As you can see, it is a very…powerful feeling to be fed on by another vampire. Besides, many vampires, once they taste our blood want more because it is purest. Do you understand?"

Elena nodded, trying to process the information , while she wondered who Elijah had shared his blood with, or who he would ever allow to bite him during sex.

"Could it work? Or is Kol just messing around with me?" she was becoming skeptical now, and noticed Elijah tense his muscles under her.

"Why don't you tell me?" he asked, placing his wrist in front of her. "Now, I do have to warn you, we may become…closer after the fact."

_Closer? Our minds are connected, does it get any closer than that?"_

"Well… what about you? You fed off of me last night."

_Or was it this morning?_

Elijah chuckled, wrapping his other arm around her, pulling her close.

"It was still dark, so I'll say last night, and yes there is a change but I would rather you experience it yourself…that is, If you want to."

Elena smiled as she placed a kiss on his wrist before her fangs protruded the gum line.

_I am so going to regret this…_

She was glad to see Elijah not respond to her thoughts as she tentatively touched his skin with her teeth. Her insides were screaming for her to stop as if he was a dangerous sleeping predator, but her instinct was intrigued.

As she bit down, she could feel Elijah's essence flow through her body. This feeling was much better than the man at the hotel, she could actually feel the emotion flowing into her, it's absolute purity made her feel weightless and she had no intentions on stopping.

_This is Elijah _her hunger reminded her as she could feel his hand in her hair, traveling to the front of her neck as he pulled her off, a slight growl escaping her throat. He smiled as he pulled her face to his as she was still dizzy from the rush. Her skin was beginning to burn as his blood ran through her veins, it was a wonderful burn, a tingle almost, like she could feel the sun again. She blinked once, and saw herself for a second, as if looking through Elijah's own eyes, and then everything became fuzzy again when she was staring back to the Original.

"Do you see what I mean?" he laughed, using his thumb to wipe a speck of blood from her lip as she nodded sheepishly.

"I think I want…more?" she asked him, when really her mind and body were screaming for it. She frowned when he shook his head.

"You need to feed for real Elena. My blood can trick you and I don't need you to lose control. " The younger vampire's eyes narrowed as she rested her head on his chest, reminding her that Kol had warned her she would get no sustenance from another vampire's blood.

_Maybe I need the help after all, I didn't even want to stop with Elijah…_

* * *

The two remained in silence for a while, as Elena began to realize her skin screamed for his touch, even with her head on directly on his chest, it wasn't enough for her. It seemed each second she had his blood in her system, the more of him she wanted.

"It will pass." He reassured her, she realized he could feel her desperation as well. "Why don't you go grab a blood bag from the kitchen. I am going to jump In the shower."

He tried to get up, but Elena wasn't ready to budge just yet.

"Elena…" he addressed her, but she could feel he didn't want to get up either.

"Fine." She grumbled, pulling him in for a kiss, she wanted to show him what he could be missing.

Jumping off the bed, she wrapped herself in the sheet like a blue silk robe and trudged to the door, turning to see Elijah putting a pair of sweatpants on.

_Why haven't I told him that I love him? _She wondered to herself, watching him curiously. She changed her thought, remembering she had said the words out loud the night before, but at the time it could have been taken more as a reaction to her own feeling of sexual ecstasy, even though she meant it whole heartedly, she never said it casually.

Not since she left.

_I hope he knows that I do._

Elena jumped as the Original appeared before her, his body pressing hers against the door, his hands cupping her face while he placed a wonderfully sweet kiss on her lips.

"And I love you Elena." He spoke as they broke apart, "Now please, do go and feed." He kissed her on the forehead as he opened the door for her to leave.

Elena held the blanket close to her body as she slid down the manor stairs. She had expected to be sore, but her body healed rapidly…multiple times, from her long and enjoyable night.

Once she reached the main floor, she remembered the box in the den.

_Well…it is morning…_

She went in to the den where it still sat on the coffee table and opened it carefully. Once she opened the flap she pulled out a small robe, it's deep purple fabric matching the silk of the sheet. At the bottom of the now empty box was another note.

_Figure your clothes are ruined._

_-Kol_

Elena laughed as she looked around. She wouldn't have been surprised if the younger Mikaelson had come home without saying anything, but nobody else was around.

Slipping the sheet off of her, she allowed the silk of the robe to dance over her body, noticing that it just covered her parts barely ending at the start of her thigh.

_Someone has a sense of humor. _She grimaced, but deep down she didn't care. Walking into the kitchen, she admired the French style for a moment, noting the tweak of modernization as she ran her fingers along the counter to the refrigerator, which she opened to dig out a blood bag. She was about to bite into it when she froze, her senses on alert.

_Someone is here._

Slowly, Elena closed the fridge door to be staring herself in the face.

"Elena."

_Tatia."_

"Can I help you?" Elena kept her voice to a low growl as she took a step back scanning the Original doppelganger's presence. She wore a simple black tank top and jeans today. Clearly, someone was trying to fit in with the current society.

_Or just try and look more like me…_

"You see, it has been brought to my attention you and your friends are going to try and get in my way." She raised her hand to touch the younger vampire's face, as if to thrive in their similarities, but Elena turned away from her.

"Do not touch me." She snarled, but Tatia only smiled as she raised an eyebrow at her clothing, or lack there-of.

"You know…over the past one thousand years I have kept a close eye on Nicklaus and Elijah." Her voice was still as rough as ever and Elena wondered if Elijah was aware of her presence in his home.

"My point being, you should know…even if you do survive this…my dearest Elijah has the worst habit of…disappearing after major events such as this. Just in case you haven't noticed."

Elena's mouth twitched into a frown as she continued, "Just keep that in mind while you two spend your last night together." The woman giggled as she turned to leave, "Make sure you enjoy him while you can love."

Before the vampire could react, the woman, hidden in Katharine Pierce's body, was gone.

Elena's body trembled with anxiety as she drained the blood bag, quickly searching for another as she wondered if the only purpose of Tatia's visit was to irritate her.

It was working, and for that, she wasn't going to waste her time talking to Elijah about it. She also worried that maybe he would choose to leave after this, and she wondered if he would leave her behind as he had done before.

_I have done it to him as well…_

She began to drain another bag when she heard a low knock on the door.

_She came back for more? _ Elena thought angrily as she rushed the door, swinging it open, her eyes now black with anger.

She stopped cold when she saw an unfamiliar woman standing before her, her platinum blonde curly hair was tied to the side and her bright green eyes were shining radiantly in the morning sun. She wore a simple pink hoodie and jeans making Elena wonder if today was casual…what ever day it was, she couldn't bother to remember anymore.

The woman jumped in fear, and the vampire settled instantly.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" she tried to keep her voice even, and became embarrassed when she realized her own lack of clothing.

"Hi! Yes! You must be Elena." Her voice squeaked, reminding her a little of Caroline…with an abnormal amount of pep. "I'm Alma."

_Right, the witch._

"I'm here because I got Elijah's message about saving Katarina?" she quickly explained when she saw the vampire's confusion.

_What?_

Elena stepped to the side, allowing the witch inside.

"I'm sorry…Save Katharine?" she wanted to interrogate the woman, but she could feel Elijah's presence coming down the stairs.

She turned to see the Original descend the stairs in a new suit-not that she ever expected him to wear the same thing twice- and eye both women curiously.

"Alma, how nice of you to…show up." He looked to Elena with question.

_Do you care to explain what I missed?_ Elena passed the thought to him angrily, and Elijah nodded in response, causing them both to receive an odd glance from Alma at the silent conversation.

"Uh…I'll be right back." The young vampire mumbled, intending on hiding up in Elijah's bedroom until the witch left. She had no clothes after all.

She began to run up the stairs and Elijah caught her hand as she passed, nearly stopping her in her tracks.

_I grabbed some things from Rebekah, but I must say…I believe I enjoy my brother's taste at times." _His voice whispered in her mind as she reached the top of the stairs with a smile.

Elena kept her ears open as she returned to Elijah's bedroom, which looked as if nothing happened…besides the gaping hole in the wall. She remembered fondly as the two decided to redecorate-so to speak- the night before, using her body of course and she had not complained once.

* * *

On his bed, Elijah had laid out a couple of items of clothing for her to choose from and she smiled, noting his options were all in her taste and all much more appropriate than what she was currently wearing. Picking a simple black t-shirt and jeans, she got dressed and ran down the stairs to see Elijah and Alma sitting in the den, the Original sipping on a cup of tea.

_Raspberry _she smiled as he motioned for her to sit with them.

"So…you are helping Katharine?" she couldn't help but show her distaste, she was never fond of the second doppelganger, so the thought of Elijah helping her felt slightly like betrayal.

"It's more Damon I am assisting Elena. We managed to come to an…agreement of sorts. He will owe me a debt." He explained softly, understanding her problem with the matter.

_Negotiating with Damon? _She asked, her eyebrows raised and Elijah nodded with a devilish grin.

_He wished to trade for something extremely important to me, but you see…I am not in the business of human trafficking. It goes to say he was not pleased with the outcome._

Elena laughed, knowing what he meant, but was a bit tense at the thought of Damon trying to use her as a bargaining chip. She knew he meant well in the matter, the older Salvatore always loved her even though she could never return those feelings for him, but she hoped he realized just how lucky he was to still be standing. Then she remembered, after nearly forgetting all of yesterday's events thanks to her evening, leaving Kol and Rebekah alone with the Salvatore brothers.

Elijah caught her look of concern and wrapped his arm reassuringly around her waist.

Once in a while, he would place his hand over hers, or on her leg but he always kept proper distance when they were around her own group of friends, but now he didn't seem to mind around this witch.

"They are fine." He whispered, "I spoke to my sister not long ago. She did, however, leave out the details. I am sure they will fill you in if necessary."

Elena nodded, and had nearly forgotten about Alma's presence for a moment as she cleared her throat.

"Fascinating." The blonde speculated, pulling the couple out of their thoughts.

"What is that?" Elijah questioned her.

"You turned her, and from what I can see, the rumors are true about Originals and their direct blood vampires. I always thought it was a myth, but you two can clearly communicate as if you were one."

The witch was truly amazed at their abilities, making Elena wonder if the Original family ever stayed close with those they turned before. In a way, she also didn't like the witch being in on her little secret, she enjoyed being able to share thoughts with Elijah privately without having to worry about anyone else knowing what could be going on. After all, only the Originals knew since it was their ability.

"Anyway!" The witch clapped her hands together to return to the topic at hand as she went on to explain a spell that was to be performed in order to separate the two doppelgangers.

"It's virtually the same concept as the one that put them together so it shouldn't be too difficult." She explained, her voice still as peppy as before, "Now, I gather you will be going against quite a few witches as it takes five to complete their circle, and you should expect them to have backup to act as guards." Elena hadn't figured Alma to be the authoritative type, but she continued to listen intently.

"So, on that note, I will help you Elijah." She stated bluntly, a smile curling at her lips, "Elena." She nodded to the younger vampire. "As long as Bonnie can use her power to hold back the witches, there should be no issues."

Elena passed the slightest of glances to Elijah, now that she was extremely aware of her actions and silently wondered if they could trust her. Of course, she already knew the answer to that since the Original had trusted her, she knew she could as well.

Elijah said goodbye to the woman as he led her to the door, promising to call her when they know the location, since she had not been able to find anything since she was searching for the other spell.

Elijah had barely closed the door after his witch left before Elena was in his face, a hint of anger burning in her eyes.

"You didn't tell me about Damon." She directed towards him, her tone sharp. "Is that why you were so easy to leave Kol and Rebekah with then?"

Elijah shook his head as he grabbed her by the shoulders as if to steady her.

"No Elena. I left my siblings alone with them because I knew Damon would not be foolish enough to goad them to where they would kill him. Me on the other hand, he had pushed enough yesterday and clearly he was batting a thousand. I would never put myself in the position to harm him for your sake…" he paused for a moment, as if imagining ripping off his head, "unless as per your request of course."

Elena stepped back from him, out of his grasp but he could see in her expression that she understood.

"You do a lot of confusing, seemingly dangerous things in an effort to maintain peace and safety." She alluded, looking to the ground.

"Only to protect those I care for Elena. I hope you can understand that. He brushed his hand over her face and was soon visited with the memories of the day he decided to leave her.

That was the day he manipulated her into going into the tunnels with his sister in order to protect his family. Even then he had cared for her, he knew deep down she may understand that, but the outer layers of his ultimate betrayal had hit her the hardest. She never believed Rebekah wouldn't harm him without his order, which only he knew would never come from his lips.

"I am sorry Elena." He whispered, but words could not describe his regret for his decision that night. Instead, he shared his emotions to his love, which she returned only with forgiveness, something he still believed he did not deserve.

Elijah smiled, and Elena caught his grin with her own allowing their lips only to briefly graze as she whispered,

"Clearly I have forgiven you. "

She allowed him to swallow her words as she kissed him and he returned her gesture as he cradled her head, knotting his fingers through her long brown hair, their bodies pushing against each other against the door. Elijah lifted her off her feet holding her against the door while he ran his hands now away from her hair and under her shirt so he could feel her skin as they kissed.

"How about now?" Elena smiled as she lowered her head to his neck enjoying each and every touch. Elijah parted his lips to speak in return, but they were cut off by the usual dreaded sound of the phone ring from the table.

"I thought I shut that off." She whined, "Just ignore it."

Still holding her against the wall, he replied.

"Each time we ignore out phones, it turns out to be something serious." The Original pointed out, placing her feet on the floor and turned away from her to grab his phone.

"Ah wonderful." He said aloud as he opened his phone. "Stefan, how nice to hear from you."

"_Yes, Elijah. Damon wants me to tell you Elena should turn her phone on, that way we don't…bother you."_

Elijah grinned towards Elena, who ran to her purse to grab her cell phone and turn it on.

"So…why did you need to call? Or are you just calling to enjoy the sound of my irritation?" The Original's tone was actually light and he patiently waited for a reply.

"_Bonnie found out where the witches are casting the ritual. Everyone is meeting here tonight." _He paused as Elijah waved Elena closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, _"Will Elena be able to make it?" _

Elijah secretly enjoyed Stefan's tone of concern, as if he was going to rip the young vampire to pieces the second they weren't concerned but he laughed as Elena violently shook her head.

"Of course she will be there. Don't be absurd, I don't keep her in a closet or anything."

He hung up with the younger Salvatore, with Elena still curled into his body as he led her back to the couch.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked her as they sat down. He could feel her anxiety shivering through her body.

"Well…it's now…or never…right?"

* * *

_**I am probably going to take a mini break from this, I think finished A Shadow's Game killed my creative juices, but once I get them back I will be updating more often so expect the next chapter by the end of the week since yaaaay my birthday is tomorrow so I probably won't get anything done then :)**_

_**Thank you for all of your reviews and siberia-I forgot to mention this earlier, but nobody else knows about Elena/Elijah's mind sharing except Kol and Rebekah (only Kol has made a pass, which is why he keeps making glances towards them whenever they are together) Elena has been adamant about keeping it as their little secret, as they barely know the extent of her relationship with our favorite Original, they only have an idea lol  
**_


	21. Nature

"_**There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human- in not having to be just happy or just sad- in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time."  
― C. JoyBell C.**_

* * *

_Chapter Twenty_

_Nature_

* * *

Now or never could have meant just about anything to the young vampire. Elena still didn't want to admit it, but she feared what would happen if Tatia's words were true, and if at the end of this fight-assuming she survived- Elijah was going to leave. She knew she couldn't avoid it forever just to keep him around, so yes, now or never fit the bill in this situation.

"What's on your mind Elena?" questioned the Original as he came back into the den. He had to call Alma in order to have her meet them at the Salvatores later on in the evening.

The young vampire shook her head, still undecided if she should even mention Tatia's presence in his home.

"Just thinking." She smiled, pulling him back down to the couch.

Elijah could tell something was bothering Elena. He didn't have to go into her mind to see the distress, and even while he wanted to brush it off as the impending fight, something still wasn't sitting right.

"When are we going to Stefan's?" she asked gun as she laid down on the couch, relaxing her head in his lap.

"Probably later." Responding listlessly, he grasped her hand, still struggling to stay out of her mind.

Whatever it was, she didn't want to share it and pushing the matter would only make things tenser than they already were.

She nodded and closed her eyes while Elijah watched on, not disturbing the peace. He could have watched her for hours, but naturally things don't always happen as planned.

* * *

The door swung open with a loud bang and a cool breeze pulled the Original from his daze.

"Good evening brother!" Kol's voice rang through the house startling Elena, who shot up in surprise.

"Ah, good to see you two are still standing!"

"What do you mean by evening Kol?" Elijah rolled his eyes over to the clock.

"It's five!" the younger vampire exclaimed as she looked at her cell phone, barely giving Elijah a moment to process the time. He didn't remember falling asleep, but followed Elena when she stood while Kol laughed at both of them. Neither of them had noticed Rebekah standing behind him, wearing her usual catty expression.

"Geez, Elijah. You could have at least picked better clothes for the poor girl!" she sneered as the younger Mikaelson brother tossed him the keys to the car.

"Ignore her, she's just upset she had a disappointing evening. We have to go!"

Elijah shook his head and turned his attention back to Elena, who was heading to the kitchen for a blood bag, when she returned she seemed more at ease than earlier in the day with a certain flutter in her step. She smiled to him as she approached and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go then!"

* * *

The Original found Elena's demeanor endearing, yet equally as confusing and by the time they pulled up to the Salvatore boarding house her mood hadn't faltered. The others had hardly noticed her emotional change except for the smile constantly tugging at her lips while the four vampires walked up the pathway.

"Someone sure is cheerful!" Kol joked putting his arm around her while he laughed, nudging her into his older brother. "Good job brother!"

Rebekah pushed forward, opening the door to the manor, her disgust obvious to the group.

"I would love to take credit, but she woke up this way just before." Ignoring his sister, Elijah replied as they passed through the door.

"Did you never learn what clocks were over a thousand years?" Damon sneered as he walked out of the kitchen, his head following Rebekah as she stormed past him.

"Don't ask Salvatore." The youngest seemed full of jokes tonight, "She is in a mood."

The older Salvatore nodded with raised eyebrows as he led them to the living room. Elijah acknowledged the group as Elena made her rounds to her friends. He was glad to see Alma had made it without problem, and she was in deep conversation with Bonnie already.

The Original looked for an empty spot in the room to place himself, but was torn as he saw the room seemed to be split like a grade school dance.

Rebekah and Kol sat on one side with Damon standing somewhat closer, while Tyler, Caroline, Bonnie and Alma sat on the other, and Stefan leaned against the nearby wall. The Original decided to edge closer to his siblings, expecting Elena to stay with her friends but was surprised when she was by his side in an instant he made the decision, as if waiting for his cue. While he leaned against the arm of the couch, the vampire sat down next to Kol, who decided to lay across the sofa, using her lap as a pillow and Rebekah as a footrest.

"So then, go on with it gentlemen!" he urged, resting his arms under his head. Elijah wondered what happened between his siblings and the other brothers and he smirked slightly when Elena leaned slightly against his body, as if trying to put as much space between herself and his younger brother as possible.

"Right." Stefan's tone lingered when he saw Damon leering towards the group of Originals, his gaze focusing on Elena and Kol with heavy distaste.

As Stefan began to explain the location of the ritual, Elijah watched as the older Salvatore made a pointed gesture to Caroline, who glared at him, mouthing something the Original couldn't read while she shook her head.

"So. Alma has agreed to help separate Katharine, while Bonnie weakens the other witches." Stefan began after he told them of the location, which conveniently was the same place the sacrifice had occurred, "We don't have any idea how many we will be up against, or if they are going to grab Elena beforehand just for dramatic effect. So," he looked to the Originals, his eyes falling on Elijah. "Half of us are going to need to protect our own witches, while the rest take them out." He passed an apologetic eye to Bonnie, who did not like this plan.

Elijah felt Elena shift uncomfortably in her seat, he could tell she wasn't a huge fan of the plan either.

"I am not killing any witches." She said firmly, looking back to Elijah for support.

"Elena, you may have to." Damon argued, but she shook her head defiantly.

"No. It's not right."

Elijah could hear his sister on the other side of the couch, laugh.

"I don't see what the big deal is. You had no problem driving a dagger through my heart."

Both Original brothers turned their attention to the younger vampire and their sister, bringing Kol to sit up.

"That was different…you were…because you…" Elena began to defend herself but there was no use.

"What? Was it because I was a threat?" The blonde stood, and surprising Elijah, Kol and the rest of the group, Elea shot to her feet as well which irritated Rebekah more.

"No Rebekah. You were going to-" she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Elijah's sister, her short fuse working overdrive today, hit her, sending the younger vampire back into the wall.

"Rebekah!" Elijah shot across the room, slamming his sister into the opposite wall his eyes digging deep into her. He would have killed her If something were to happen to Elena. Kol laughed as he held back a now blood thirsty Elena.

"Try not to take it so personally sister!" he called from the other wall while the rest of the group watched on as if enjoying a tennis match, not wanting to get involved. "Elena only daggers those she cares about! I mean…look at Elijah after all!"

Ignoring both of her brothers, even though her oldest held her tight by the throat, she managed to snarl, "Those witches will have no problems ending your life Elena. Stop being a fool before you get my brothers killed!"

Elijah, knowing Rebekah had said her piece, loosened his grip, but kept a firm glare over her, " I will tear you to pieces if you try something like that again Rebekah." He released his sister then, knowing he got his threat across, and hoped they would be able to return to normal as he ran to Elena, who's eyes were black with fury, and placed a hand over hers, motioning for his brother to step back while Caroline ran to get blood.

_Relax Elena._ He hushed her in her mind, while moving the hair from her eyes. The young vampire was panting under his touch, but quickly relaxed and shook it off once her friend returned with the blood.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, looking to everyone in shame as she sauntered back to the couch, taking her time to drain the bag.

"I may have to agree with Damon though, they may not give you a choice." Alma whispered, receiving an angry glare from Bonnie. "You risk everyone else by not doing your part."

* * *

Elena had nearly lost control.

_I just went after your sister. _She thought, looking to Elijah apologetically.

_It's all right. _ He placed his hand over hers again. _She deserved it._

_But she's right… _Elena had realized.

"Fine." She finally decided. "If they pose an immediate threat , I will stop at nothing to take care of it. " She lowered her gaze to the Original sister who was now standing against the wall where Damon had moved, "You can trust me on that."

Bonnie nodded, proud of her friend's decision, while Tyler, who had been edgy in his seat next to Caroline, looked to Stefan to continue, drawing the attention away from the vampires.

"Okay. We are going to have to work together on this. Can you all do that?" The hybrid looked to the group of Originals, whom he would never trust, thanks to Klaus' involvement in his becoming a hybrid and forcing him to bond to him the way he had. He made an intentional look at Rebekah as a warning to her specifically while Stefan picked up the conversation.

"As I was saying then…"

"What my brother is trying to say is we should all stay together. That way…they don't get the chance to take any of us out." Damon interrupted.

_But they know we are coming…_ Elena thought sadly, remembering her encounter with Tatia that morning.

Elijah turned his attention to her in surprise.

_How do you know that?_

Elena shook him out of her head instantly, regretting saying the thought out loud, but also realizing the importance of having to share the Original doppelganger's visit. She was still going to leave Tatia's observations of Elijah's past excursions out of it though.

"They already know we are coming." The young vampire sighed, and she thought Damon was about to pull his hair out, or explode.

"And how exactly is that Elena?" he began to approach her, looking at Elijah as if expecting a challenge but when he didn't move he knelt in front of her, his features softer than they have been towards her since she joined "Team Original".

"She sort of…paid me a visit this morning…" she mumbled, and followed with a quick explanation of their conversation, leaving out the part that bothered her most.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked the Original, he didn't sound angry, but only Elena could feel the sense of betrayal over him. She shrugged, and pointed to the witch Alma, who had come to the house shortly after.

"I guess it had to do with Alma showing up and telling me about saving Katharine." She argued, her tone only slightly sarcastic as to not draw more attention to any drama. "So I guess it slipped my mind."

She could tell by Elijah's stiffened posture that she got her point across, but it wasn't worth fighting over. They had more important matters to be concerned about.

"So…now that they know we are coming, we lose the element of surprise." Caroline spoke softly, but sounded proud of her own deduction as if it hadn't already been established.

'Right." Stefan agreed, "So we will definitely have to stick together knowing that. We have to end this once and for all."

The entire group nodded in agreement, and Alma, who seemed to have become quite comfortable with the group of Elena's supernatural friends, interjected.

"Bonnie and I should be able to create a protective shield around the house; we have to take all extra precautions. I know one of the witches in the circle, she is powerful and devious. She has zero honor." Her blonde curls bounced as she shook her head, and Elena wondered how much time the witch had spent with Elijah in order to pick up his ideals, and also what the opposing witch had done to her.

* * *

Within no time, Damon and Elijah were able to set up a plan of attack.

"It's probably best to keep those two separate," Damon pointed to Rebekah who was staring listlessly out the window as if she had been caged.

Elena saw Elijah agree with the older Salvatore and smiled, finding their team work amusing.

_You two could be good at this. _She thought. He didn't answer her, but the slick smile parting his lips told her that he had heard.

"All right, so we will have to split into…three groups." The Original stated as he scanned the room.

"Right." Damon agreed as if his vote would get everyone else on board, "Bonnie will be working on keeping the witches weaker so,-" the older Salvatore was cut off by Alma.

"I'm going to need to draw power from other witches, so keeping Bonnie and her…" she pointed to Rebekah, "nearby will help guarantee the separation's success. She has a witches ancestry, I can feel it, and I am sure I can draw from it somehow." Soon, Alma became lost in her thoughts and Elena began to wonder if the girl was all…there in the head.

"Okay so, Rebekah, Tyler and Caroline." Damon pointed to each of them like he was drafting them for a football team, and taking back control of the situation, "You will have to work on taking out the circle."

Elena knew why he had appointed them, rather than herself, to contain the circle.

Those were the witches who would need to be killed, and while she knew Caroline would not enjoy doing the deed, she was much more likely to follow Tyler, who needed Klaus to stay desiccated.

Damon caught her glance as she watched him keep himself in the center of the room, reminding the young vampire that they hadn't spoken much since her increased involvement with the Original. The last thing she had said to him before she had run off to find Elijah close to a year ago was "You wonder why I could never love you." And she was sure those words had hurt. Of course he had managed to get her back time and time again by subtly (yet not so subtly as that was never his forte) that he had been scorned by a woman he loved, and who had one point, considered she may have loved him…and his brother.

However, even after all the times that they had gone against each other since, she was relieved to know that he was looking out for her. Damon was always someone she could depend on, even if he wanted the man she loved out of the picture.

"And no worried Elena." He winked, "I wouldn't dream of separating our prom king and queen." Damon laughed at his own joke as Elijah rolled his eyes.

"You two and Kol will take care of any of the…bodyguards?" He looked to Alma as he crossed the room to the kitchen, who nodded.

"Aw man, why do I have to be on bodyguard duty? " Kol whined, even though he meant it as a joke Elena knew he would enjoy ripping something-anything- to shreds. She wondered if the day they spoke on the tree tops when he referred to Elijah as being "puppy like" around her, if he had been really referring to himself, since she heard so many stories of the horrible things Kol was capable of, and his lack of concern for human life. He had almost killed her without a second thought until she had been quick on her feet to explain herself. He was one Original she never actually expected to get along with, but she expected it was his own admiration of his brother that did it.

"Because I do not trust you, mini-terror." Replied Damon, without missing a beat as he emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of bourbon and some glasses.

"Me?" Kol feigned offense. "But you trust her?" he pointed to his sister. "Damon, I didn't think I would have to be the one to tell you think but just because my sister will spread her thighs for you does not mean she is trustworthy….I mean…I hate to break the news to you but-"

"Okay then!" Caroline shot from her seat, cutting the babbling Original off. "We don't need another fight due to a loud mouth Mikaelson, so, Damon, please continue."

Stefan laughed from his seat and poured himself a drink, gesturing for the others to do the same.

"Right. Do you three will keep the bodyguards or whatever off of Alma-That is your name right?- who will be separating Tatia from Katharine's body. We will be protecting her as she does so."

Elena looked to Elijah, who had allowed Damon to take the lead possibly as a peace offering. She was never the strategic type, as she was never "allowed" to. The most strategic thing she ever did on her own conation was when she pulled the dagger out of Elijah, after she was on the one who placed it there. Between that and making the deal with him in the beginning, he was the only one who actually allowed her to do something more than play damsel in distress in these situations. She could trust him, and because of his faith in her, she would wait to see if he agreed to the plan. Due to their past, she counted on his undeniable, untainted judgment long for anyone else, his confidence in his own decisions never waning, which may have concerned the others but it gave the young, less experienced vampire a sense of security.

It was funny how it had always been like that, since they first met. She could depend on him over anyone else.

Elijah nodded to Damon in agreement. For once, now that her own safety could be at stake, the two found a common ground in an all too common enemy.

"Okay then!" Kol clapped his hands together as he stood, dragging his sister to the door. "We will be at the Grill for a while, but we will be back soon so no worries. We know our curfew."

The remainder of the group watched the two Originals slide out the front door and then they all dispersed as well, each forming their own cliques. Stefan followed Tyler and Caroline to the basement, while Alma followed Bonnie upstairs, first passing a friendly wave to the Elena and then gazing at Elijah.

She could see there was something off in the girl's head, but she seemed trustworthy regardless.

Now, she was alone with Damon and Elijah.

_This will be fun._

The Original walked to the other side of the room, forming a triangle between the three vampires, as if trying to keep an equal distance between each of them as Damon poured two fresh glasses of bourbon, passing one to Elijah and the other to Elena.

The young vampire watched as Elijah lifted the glass to his eye level, as if in toast, but held his look on the rim.

_Checking for poison? _Elena thought towards him with a laugh before he took a sip.

_Maybe. _She saw him wink in her direction.

Hesitantly, Elena raised her glass as well. Bourbon wasn't her drink of choice –not that she really had one in the first place- she preferred the tangy taste of vodka and orange juice, but she could adapt.

Taking a quick swig, she expected the burn to hit instantly, but instead, she felt nothing of the sort. It was like drinking a heavily carbonated soda, she only felt a slight tingle as it went down.

"Tastes different huh?" Damon observed and raised his own glass as she nodded.

"That's why I only drink the best."

Elena could almost feel the tension pushing heavily on her skin, and she wondered how many more of those she would need in order to get through the awkward situation.

The trio (to Elena's surprise ) sat in the Salvatore's living room sharing jokes as they downed drink after drink, the young vampire taking her time. She enjoyed spending time with Damon again as she remembered the jokes they would share in the past. The couldn't help but smile at Elijah being in the same room as him, let alone the two of them seemingly getting along

* * *

Elijah could easily deal with Damon for Elena's sake. He didn't bother the Original for his existence, it was more of his intentions towards Elena that irritated him and as long as he wasn't working some scheme to try and prove he will never give up on the Gilbert woman, he had no reason to be concerned. He also couldn't ignore how much she cared for both Salvatores and while she may not be in love with them anymore, she had loved them all the same. He would never dream of pulling her away from those she cared about, all he wanted was for her to be happy and safe, and even Elijah was not naïve enough to know that if he could depend on anyone to protect her with their lives, after himself, he knew it was Stefan and Damon. Even in their own unconventional manner, they would never intentionally allow harm to come of her.

The shields had gone up around the house right before his siblings returned from their adventure around Mystic Falls, and they instantly disappeared into a bedroom that Stefan directed them to, apologizing for making them share and also having them promise not to kill each other overnight.

It was nearly one am, and Elijah began to feel the alcohol effecting Elena. He could feel her begin to go in and out of touch, and while he felt find, he could see Damon was beginning to get a little drunk as well.

He was in the process of talking to the older brother about Rebekah as a child as he laughed on, when he stopped mid conversation to step towards her.

"Elena, are you all right?"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he picked up on the slurring of her words and by Damon's laugh, he had as well.

"Uh…because that is your tenth…full drink."

Elena's eyes widened as she looked from her glass to the now three empty bottles of bourbon placed on the coffee table.

"Oh…" she leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "That's…interesting."

"I think you should get Miss Gilbert to bed!" Damon joked, pulling the brunette to her feet. Elijah nodded in agreement, taking her hand from his, finding amusement in their new found toleration of each other.

_Seems a few drinks can either make or break it after all._ He thought as Elena stumbled forward.

"Yeah I know what you mean…" she grumbled.

"What?" Damon asked, "I didn't say anything."

Elijah nearly froze in his steps, but regained his composure quickly.

"I'm thinking Elena has had a little too much to drink, and not enough sleep." He quickly explained. "Perhaps you have a room I could get her to?"

He knew Elena wasn't completely drunk, most likely just buzzed, and he was glad she didn't object to his explanation. He knew she didn't want her friends to know just how special their bond really was, which had he been a different kind of man, he would have been bothered by this. Yet he could easily understand the need for having something intimate when most of the time your life is on display for others to criticize.

Damon led the two up the stairs to the second floor in a room next to the other Originals. Elijah held the door open for the young woman, who instantly fell onto the bed, and as he was about to follow her in, Damon grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Yes Damon?" he drawled, turning back to face the vampire.

"Listen, I don't like whatever it is you two have." He adverted, catching the Original's attention, as he waved his hands between Elijah, and an imaginary Elena. "But I will say this, hybrid boy was right, we need to work together, and I am glad that you are by Elena's side in all of this. We know all too well how she ends up getting into trouble somehow." Elijah's eyes narrowed, curious to know where this was going. "You nearly tossed your sister through the wall to protect her and being as how 'important' your family is to you, it says a lot to me."

Elijah nodded slowly, in his own way, glad the older brother pushed more in his favor now, even if it was only in his drunken state.

"Damon. You are drunk, stop talking or you may say something you will regret in the morning." He nudged the brother away as he turned back towards the bedroom.

"I will never hurt her Salvatore, and I know in your own radical way you would throw down your life for hers. Don't think for a moment I never realized that." He stepped in the room and placed his hand on the doorknob, Elena was out cold. "Now, if you don't mind I would like to retire for the evening."

He heard Damon walk away as he closed the door behind him, causing Elena to stir.

"I heard that." She grumbled, rolling onto her back.

Elijah smiled as he sat on the bed with her, "Oh did you now?"

"Mhm." She opened one eye to stare at him. "There are clothes in that drawer."

Elijah followed the finger as she pointed across the room to a simple and quaint dresser.

"Don't worry. I snuck them in last time we were here."

He remembered that this room had actually been the room she stayed in the last time around, before she moved back into the Gilbert home.

The Original got changed, glad they were able to relax again-together- and he noticed Elena was wide awake now. He joined her on the bed, only to have her quickly wrap around his body and push him onto the mattress and pull the covers over their bodies while entwining her legs with his.

"I messed up today Elijah." She pouted, "I almost lost control again with your sister."

Brushing a kiss against her cheek, he whispered into her ear, "She was goading you. It is something Rebekah is quite good at Elena, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"All in that moment, I wanted to rip your witches throat out though from the hunger." She held her pout, now setting herself in his lap, looking him directly in the eyes and lowered close enough so her nose was touching his and her hair fell around their faces.

Elijah responded by holding Elena by the waist, he could feel her desires after all, and they were practically screaming at him from above.

"And what is it you would like me to do about it?" he challenged, his skin searing under her touch. There was one minor issue with the blood sharing trick that he had neglected unintentionally to warn her about. The constant desire, on both sides, for the other's blood…and anything else they could get along with course it only amplified the natural feelings more if they had hated each other, they would push farther apart instead, wishing to only rip apart the opposing. Or, so he had heard, he never shared his blood with someone he had no desires for.

"I need you to help me again…" she smiled as she lowered her lips against his bare chest. The Original took a deep unnecessary breath with each kiss she placed as her lips travelled down his torso, ending right above the belly button.

He hadn't expected this sort of behavior from her, and wondered what really had brought it on.

Could it have been her taking his blood that morning? Or perhaps the coming fight had finally hit her. That, and the alcohol slowly burning through her system (still faster than a human's but apparently not fast enough,) would surely take it's toll.

"Elena…"

It felt as though they played this game each time. He would try to fight off her advances, groaning her name, and she would keep going, ignoring his desires and resolve and he would give into hers.

"It's never easy with you is it?" she smiled into his skin, allowing her teeth to graze gently on each sensitive spot right above his hip bone.

He could have easily fought her off, but he knew why she was doing this now. While it was his body she may have desired, her concerns were still showing through. She needed his blood.

Giving a shallow nod, he brushed her hair away form his skin while he could feel her own senses shake with excitement and soon after, hunger as she allowed her fangs to pierce his skin.

It didn't take long for his mind to wander off. In an effort to control his own impulses, Elijah recalled the brief flash out of her vision he had seen the last time. Seeing from her eyes could be helpful in the coming battle and that way he could easily find her if they got separated. He wondered if Elena realized the effect of his blood the last time she took it, since she hadn't said anything.

Then again, he had rushed her out of the room, not allowing her to say anything else.

The Original snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the younger vampire release her fangs from his skin, her eyes still black with hunger.

"Yes. I did notice." She spoke matter-of-factly. "I was just distracted by other things."

She began to run her fingers through the single drop of blood left on his torso with a grin, and led her hand up his chest as she climbed back on top of him, her hair now surrounding him like a veil.

"Now can we have fun?"

Elijah laughed pulling her in by the waist, kissing her and in turn , allowing the taste of his own blood to reach his lips. Without a second thought he had her back against the mattress and with a low growl into her neck, "I don't know if I have the strength my love, you could have drained me dry."

"Well, that is unfortunate." She giggled, "I guess I will have to share then." The vampire , who held the back of his head, lowered his lips so they were touching her jugular, giving him the permission he had wanted.

"I don't intend on stopping there Elena." He teased, allowing his fangs to graze her neck.

"Good, because I don't want you to."

* * *

_**Sorry it's been a couple of days since I updated. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Right now things are starting to fall into place and there will be one more chapter then an "epilogue" even though it won't be the end because continuing in this story will be a bunch of out takes, then starting Part two, which is only being separated due to a heavy time jump. **_

_**Again, I hope you enjoyed this :)  
**_


	22. Mannequin

**_Okay so...warning this chapter is really long!_**

**_I do not own TVD etc etc_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

**_Led to other worlds  
By the girls she curled within  
I took their skins to see Her  
Be my mannequin_**

**_-Cradle of Filth_**

* * *

_Chapter Twenty One_

_Mannequin_

* * *

_ A strange crash filled Elena's senses. It wasn't a bang, but a rhythmic crash slowly coming in, quietly going out._

_It was the sounds of waves hitting the beach._

_Taking in the smell of the salt water ocean, Elena moved her hands off of her torso and allowed the sand to slip through her fingers as she sat up, opening her eyes to see only the water._

_"It's about time."_

_Elena turned to see Elijah next to her, also sitting in the sand, hugging his right knee to his chest. He wore more casual clothing, in what Elena realized was a dream…something they had not shared in a long while, which meant to him a deep burgundy dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up exposing his arms and a pair of simple black slacks._

_"Hey…at least now I know it's you." She looked up into the sun, habitually shielding her eyes even though she didn't have to. Elijah chuckled and placed his hand over the one that she had resting in the sand._

_"Why here?" she questioned._

_"It's quiet. You do not enjoy the peace?" his eyes never left the ocean and Elena could tell this was a place he enjoyed very much, there may have been something more personal about it._

_"I do actually. It has been a while since I could be at peace I guess. I love the beach."_

_She meant it. In truth, if Elena could stay with him here forever, she would consider it heavily, of course it wasn't an option._

_"I'm glad you like it. The Galapagos Islands have always been a personal favorite of mine. So much history."_

_"The Galapagos Islands!" Now he really had her attention, "That's amazing!"_

_Elijah nodded with a laugh to her excitement._

_"Unfortunately we cannot stay here. It is morning now and I'm sure someone will be barging in soon, and neither of us are…decent."_

_Elena couldn't hold back the frown passing her lips but ignored his warning regardless as she stood, acknowledging her strapless, pale pink sundress that flowed just below the knee._

_"Come on!" she pulled the Original to his feet, "If they are going to wake us up soon, we can at least enjoy the time that we have!"_

_Elijah got to his feet gracefully despite his feet sinking in the sand and followed the elated younger vampire to the water. Stepping in, she expected the water to be cold, but instead it was warm to the touch._

_"Is it because this is a dream?" she asked turning to him._

_"No, Elena, this is just how it is as I remember it." He mused as she ran knee deep into the ocean, the bottom of her dress getting heavier with the weight of the water. "That was a long time ago."_

_She splashed the water onto her skin as the Original stood at the edge of the sand in silence, as if simply surveying the scenery._

_"Elijah?" she called for his attention, concerned. She was before him in a second, wrapping her arms around his waist and looked up into his dark brown eyes. "Thank you for this. It's beautiful." She pulled him in for a kiss, wondering if his lips would still feel the same in the dream. They had shared so many in reality that she forgot what it was like. She also wondered if this was going to be his destination when he would go when he left-if he left._

_"Anything for you my love. Always." He returned another kiss to her, "I wish I could give you this for all time."_

_She could have blushed, she may have, but she wasn't so sure._

_She sat down at the edge of the beach, right where the water met the furthest part of the sand and allowed her feet to sink in as she pulled the Original down with her, following with tackling him into the sand and allowed the waves crash against their legs. He didn't fight her for once, as she had prepared for, which was comforting in it's own way…knowing that they could be comfortable here. Elijah could be so uptight at times, which secretly she found charming, even though it hindered her plans._

_"Elijah?" she brought him back to her as she rested her head on his chest._

_"Yes Elena?" she loved the way he said her name into her ear, the way his tongue would roll with his accent over the "L" alone could make her melt._

_"Don't leave. I don't know if I could handle it…" She was going to leave the word "again" to remain unsaid. _

_Elijah froze, as If he had been rapidly snapped back to reality and pulled her closer to him._

_"Elena, I will always be here, as long as you want me, but understand that your strength knows no bounds. You do not need anyone." He brushed his lips against her forehead and she pulled up for a real kiss, even though her stresses about his potential departure did not waver. After all, Elijah was always very careful with his words, cautious to always mean what he says, which was "I will always be here." It could very well mean in her dreams and she knew it. Pressing the matter wouldn't help, so once again, she let it go._

_"I love you." She whispered, knowing that she never had to say the words._

_"I love you, Elena. Sadly though, this has to end. Stefan is standing in the doorway and you are…exposed."_

_The young vampire huffed, tugging on his shirt slightly._

_"It's not like he's never seen me before…" she grumbled, wondering if she should have kept her mouth shut. Elijah did seem like he could be the jealous type, not like he could say anything. He is one thousand years old. It is not possible that he was a virgin when they met. However, once again the Original took her by surprise and did not react._

_"Come on. I don't need to like him staring at beauty I would like to consider to be with me so…"_

"Stefan…get…out." Elena growled as her beach vision turned to the inside of her eyelids. She felt Elijah pull the sheet over her body instantly, his other arm still cradling her head from behind her.

"I just came in to tell you that your brother is here…and both him and Kol are making pancakes. Don't ask why, because I have no idea." Elena opened her eyes at the word pancakes. "And uh…thanks for not destroying the room last night."

He turned to leave, but then went back. "By the way Elena, Jeremy brought back clothes for you and your shampoo and what not so you could shower."

"Okay, thanks Stef." She turned over as he walked away, the door still ajar. "I guess now, life begins again."

Elijah curved towards her to mold into her body, planting a light kiss on her forehead as he brought her up, wrapping her in the blanket and he quickly jumped back into clothes and disappeared, reappearing in moments with a plastic bag.

"Clothing?" he tossed her the bag as he closed the door, allowing her to change into the jeans and sweatshirt that her brother brought her, which she threw on quickly. She fixed her hair, pulling it into a high ponytail before they went downstairs where the smell of pancakes, maple syrup and eggs floated through the air. The Salvatore home smelled like a diner on a Sunday morning.

Elena smiled to her brother, happy to see him, even if he was somewhat out of place in a house full of vampires (three of them Originals), two witches and one hybrid.

"What made you decide to play chef?" she questioned, grabbing a pancake from the plate as her little brother shrugged. She knew his feelings about vampires, and even though she could tell his feelings towards them have softened over the past few years, he was always wary about leaving his sister alone with them.

Ironic, if one word could describe Jeremy, maybe that would be it, because his sister was a vampire as well.

"Maybe I wanted to see my sister and make sure you were still….you know, alive?" She had forgotten that she hadn't seen him since she left with Elijah the night before, he wasn't one hundred percent in the loop on their relationship, so he had no idea if he could trust him or not. He knew better than to go by Elena's decision on the matter after all.

Elena made a sound from her throat as she set herself with a full plate of pancakes and sat down at the table, soon to be joined by Stefan and Caroline.

"Where's Elijah?" she asked as she began to eat. She remembered him following her down the stairs, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I think Kol grabbed him." Stefan responded, pouring himself a glass of blood and offering to the other vampires who accepted happily. The three talked, more meaningless banter between the girls as Stefan listened, sometimes making a joke which seemed to be his thing, his dry humor was always at the appropriate times…when he wasn't trying to drive you off of a bridge or kill people of course.

Then as luck would have it, the "important" question was addressed.

"So Elena, are you and Elijah…serious?" Caroline was always the nosey one, and to her, everything had to have a label. Whether it be "serious" or "just for fun", "boyfriend" or whichever, she always had to know. To be honest, Elena hadn't considered what they were. It seemed not too long ago she was confused as to where she belonged with him, even after their dream walking from the night before. She had so casually told him that she loved him now and she meant it as in she was absolutely in love with him. Their relationship had taken some strange turns…starting off quickly, then tiring out which caused her to bolt. Maybe her leaving put everything in perspective for both of them, but no matter how they ended up there was irrelevant. They were here…now, together. They were Elijah and Elena and that was it. That was what was most important.

"I don't know." She shrugged, Caroline's glare forcing an answer out of her, "I guess I would say so." She figured, it was nearly impossible to have a casual relationship with the Original, once he confesses his feeling for you, that is it and you are in it for the long run. Everything about him was intense, and she was perfectly fine with that. At least she knew where she stood to him, for the most part.

"I am sure he agrees with you." She felt a familiar pair of hands on her shoulders.

For a second, she froze, embarrassed.

_For once, I didn't sense you here. Good job._

_I can be stealthy when need be._

"Oh…hey Elijah!" Caroline jumped and waved giving Elena an apologetic look. Elena turned, trying to keep her expression stiff to hide her embarrassment but he said nothing more to add to the conversation, instead gave a nod to Stefan in greeting.

Thankfully, she had finished her pancakes when Elijah pulled her to her feet, instantly bringing her lips to his as if to say _Does this answer her question Elena? _The young vampire nearly got caught up in the romance when the Original pulled away.

"You taste like syrup." He spoke softly. Elena nodded sheepishly, reminding herself she needed to wash up.

"Yeah I need to shower." She turned her attention back to Stefan, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Caroline's mouth agape and her eyes sparkling. Stefan however, was gazing into his glass, doing everything in the world to avoid looking at the couple, he had seen enough of Elena that morning already.

He looked up when he realized she was talking to him and pointed upstairs.

"You know where everything is…"

"And the bathroom is free!" Kol called as he walked down the stairs. One thing Elena hated most about being in a house full of vampires was the lack of privacy in conversation. Behind the younger Original followed Bonnie and Alma, who both looked worn down.

"Great. Now the party is really starting." Caroline mumbled as Elena parted ways with Elijah to head into the kitchen to thank Jeremy for the breakfast.

"Hey wait…where's Damon?" Bonnie asked, searching the crowded area.

"He left with Tyler this morning." Caroline pouted, reminding Elena that just as she had with the Salvatores, she had cut out one of her best friends as she grew closer to Elijah. She had no idea what their relationship was like now that they have reunited but she had a feeling they weren't able to see each other very often.

* * *

When Elena ran upstairs to shower, Elijah kept to the side of the room In order to stay out of the way. Over the years he had learned to make his presence practically undetectable to others and it had become a useful talent during times when he was in large groups of people.

He managed to stay in the shadows for only a few moments, watching the group scurry around as Jeremy cracked jokes with Bonnie. He always admired Elena's relationship with her brother, even though he had never had a direct conversation with him he could tell that through Elena, their bond was powerful and nearly unbreakable.

"So, Damon told me about your talk last night."

Speaking of brothers, it was Stefan, appearing next to him. The Original nodded, surprised that Damon even remembered the incident.

"Yes well, I am sure he wants to take those words back." He deducted coolly, resting his back against the wall. He watched carefully as Stefan shook his head.

"You know my brother. His feelings are all over the place. He doesn't know about you singularly, but he is not in favor of Elena with you. He doesn't trust you and it's not like you have never hurt her before."

Elijah enjoyed talking to this brother, with his own troubled and dangerous past that crawled into the present, he, unlike Damon thought less with his emotions and was more thoughtful in general. It was a trait the Original valued.

"Of course I understand what you are saying Stefan. I understand you both love Elena with all of your heart and I have never forced either of you to tolerate me. I am here for Elena, and Elena only. She is what is most important to me."

When Elijah said that he never forced them to tolerate him, he knew In a way that was a lie. He knew what Kol had done for him, even though he didn't ask his brother to do anything of the sort he still felt responsible. Stefan nodded, just needing to get his point across.

"I just don't want you to be with her only because she is a vampire Elijah. You do not need to protect her, and we understand why she did it…well…I understand I guess. She is not your ward, we can help her."

"Stefan you have mistaken once again. I am not keeping Elena around out of guilt. In fact, it was my own guilt that pushed her away. Elena chose my side because that is the side she wanted. I never forced her to make any decision."

With that, the younger Salvatore turned away from the Original to head to the kitchen to escape the crowd.

* * *

Since becoming a vampire, a hot or cold shower paid no difference to Elena, while she felt the temperature difference it no longer bothered her. This time though, after her escapades from the night before a cold shower seemed more fitting. After all, her leg was still twitching in anticipation of him.

Hopping in, she allowed the cold water to beat on her back as she began to wash her hair. While rinsing it out she began to feel a slight burning sensation on her skin causing her to test the water to see if maybe she hit the nozzle without realizing but it still felt cool to the touch. She brought her attention back to her hair until she began to hear a faint chanting ringing through her mind in a whisper, similar to when Elijah would communicate with her but before. She turned she could try and understand the language she saw nothing but flames.

Dropping to the tile of the shower she could practically taste the smoke in her mouth as she began to scream, feeling as if the fire was engulfing her starting at the legs.

_Elijah! _She couldn't cry out over her own voice as she felt her skin was beginning to bubble in the surrounding flames. Snapping only somewhat into reality, Elena felt a pair of cool hands grab her, and pull her from what she realized was water, reminding her she was still in the shower.

* * *

Elijah began to burn.

Dropping to the ground in the agonizing sensation, he was blinded.

_Elijah!_

"Brother! What is happening?" It was Rebekah, and he could feel the group approaching him.

"No!" He held up his hand to stop them, he didn't know what was happening to him, "Stefan get Elena!"

It had all hit him so fast and just like that it was gone, but once his vision cleared, he could see the same was not for Elena who was shaking in Stefan's arms as he flew down the stairs, quickly wrapping her in a blanket while she screamed.

"What the hell is going on?" the younger Salvatore demanded as he placed the hysterical Elena on the couch. Alma and Elijah were by her side in an instant, the Original's skin still burning, and they didn't answer.

He grasped her hand, hesitant for only a short moment before entering her mind as the witch, soon joined by Bonnie, began to chant.

_Elena!_ Elijah called to her, resting his forehead on her knuckle.

"What is he doing?" Jeremy asked the room after hearing the commotion, which was now filled with everyone as he pushed past to sit by his sister's feet. Elijah heard someone, possibly Caroline, pull him back and begin to explain the ritual that was to occur tonight while Elijah opened his mind into Elena's.

_Elena's mind was nothing but fire. Elijah searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found._

"I need to get her to relax more. She is convulsing!" Alma demanded trying to hold Elena's shoulders down. The witch realized that she stopped screaming the second Elijah entered her mind, but she needed more. Bonnie nodded, placing her hand in the blonde witches and her other over the young vampire's forehead as they began to whisper a spell.

Over all the commotion, nobody had realized Damon and Tyler returned, the older Salvatore pushing past the group.

"What is happening?" he snarled angrily. "I leave for barely two hours and this happens?"

"Not now Damon." Elijah growled back, his tone sounding equally as threatening. He was only partially with the group as he was still trying to fully enter Elena's mind.

"Is she dying?" asked the hybrid, but both witches shook their heads.

"It's Mel. The witch I was talking about. They are binding her to the ritual. Elena will be fine once we pull her out. We should have enough power." Alma told him, not removing her gaze from both the vampires.

"So that means they are starting soon." Said Kol, wearing a concerned expression as he looked to Bonnie for guidance. Elijah may only have been half lucid of what was going on outside of Elena's mind, but he could tell Kol's worries were not only based on his brother possibly returning to them but because of Elena… and possibly even the Bennett witch, who was using an awful lot of power within the past few days and only more to come.

_"Elena!" Elijah called out into her mind, the flames had surrounded him now, and he could see a limp figure on the ground before him, only a few yards away. He ran to her and shook her, the burning on his skin only becoming more powerful but he would be fine. She began to stir slightly, barely able to open her eyes._

_"Elijah?"_

_"I'm right here love. We have to get you out of here."_

_She nodded weakly as he lifted her to her feet, hoping he would be able to bring her back with him._

_"Make them stop the constant chattering…" she grumbled._

"Stay still!"

Elijah had snapped out of his self-induced trance by Alma, who was struggling to separate Elena, who wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What happened?" she cried, shivering now.

"Tatia's witches have bonded you to their spell, which means they are planning on casting it soon." Bonnie replied as Elena turned back to her friend.

"Thank you," she smiled, "for pulling me out of there."

Both witches exchanged glances and shook their heads.

'That wasn't us honey." Alma began.

"Yeah, you can thank Elijah for that." Bonnie finished, looking as if she dreaded admitting the Original had been of any help.

Jeremy cut in before anything else could be said, and wrapped his arms around his sister.

"Yeah, still don't know what happened there…" he told her, looking to Elijah for an answer.

"What do you mean?" Elena turned to face him.

"Well, that's how we knew something was wrong. Elijah seemed effected too…" Stefan explained to her quickly. The young vampire's eyes widened and Elijah could feel her mind buzzing in concern. They would keep asking until they got an explanation, but she was hesitant to tell them.  
"Wait….you don't know?" Alma always had a big mouth and apparently decided to do it for them.

"What?" the entire group asked, turning their attention to the witch as Elena gave her a warning glare, which was ignored, and settled into Elijah's arms. A robe was handed to her by Caroline and she quickly switched the two while nobody was paying attention. Elijah could tell she didn't care about her outfit situation, she had been through enough, the memories still played in their shared mind.

_Glad to have you back. I almost thought I had lost you for a second. _He thought as he pulled her closer. Elena sighed into him, her mind clearing even though she was still shaken.

They listened as Alma explained their "bond", as she had called it and soon the room was in an uproar.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Damon yelled.

"That's an interesting turn…" Stefan found amusement in the new information as opposed to his brother, who was angry.

"I think it's sort of romantic…being connected like that…" Of course that was Caroline.

That was Elijah's main concern, the next step would be the friends who were not on "team Elijah, such as the Salvatores, would soon say that he tricked Elena into being with him by using his mind or something like that.

"Ahem!" Kol cleared his throat, "Can I just…interject for a moment and ask something?"

The group calmed down, all turning their attention to the youngest Original brother. "What exactly does it matter?" Elijah let out a breathe of relief as he edged Elena to the stairs, trying to get her away from the commotion. Silently, he thanked Kol for taking everyone's attention away from the young vampire, who was still shaken, so she could run upstairs to change again.

Kol continued on with his short rant and Elijah was surprised he didn't stand on the table to keep everyone looking at him. He always had a complex.

"Don't you think we have more important things to worry about? Hello!" He waved at the group as he shook his head, "Did you hear Miss Bennett? They started to cast the ritual! Now I don't know about all of you but I would like my brother to stay in the ground, at least for a hundred years, so can we stop treating their personal business like they just revealed their favorite sexual position and get on with it?"

Elijah never had a problem allowing his youngest brother to play the obnoxious and overbearing one. He never had an issue saying the things Elijah found himself too "honorable" to say at times, and it helped that it gave Elena the room she needed to escape. When she returned to his side the rest of her friends had let the new information go. The two sat on the stairs, and when they saw Alma approach, the young vampire seemed displeased.

"Hey Elena…sorry. I put you in a weird situation..." she apologized, "Sometimes I don't think before I speak."

Elena nodded and pulled Elijah to his feet. It looked like everyone was getting ready to go.

"They won't cast until tonight, most likely too much traffic going through the woods at this time." Bonnie announced, standing in front of the door. "Tyler told me he will go check out the woods before sunset so we shouldn't head out until then.

"Well, we have to do something!" Damon argued. "Your shields were supposed to protect us from their magic, yet the witches still managed to take down Elena and Elijah!"

Rebekah, who was standing closer to her oldest brother now spoke up, for once defending someone other than herself.

"No. They only linked her to the ritual Damon. The screaming and everything else that they had done was all in their heads."

Elijah nodded in agreement to his sister, not sure how she would know that, but moved on.

"So what do we do?" Elena piped in, her voice at a mere squeak.

"We wait…" Elijah responded gravely. He was always a patient man, but even now he wanted this over with.

* * *

The group awaited Tyler's return after he left, while Caroline spent most of her time with Elena to keep distracted for the two hours he was gone.

Once he returned, he didn't have to say anything. The group was all ready to go, their bags packed into their cars when Tyler first left.

"Are you ready for this?" Elijah asked, not because he didn't think Elena could handle the fight, but to make sure this was what she wanted.

She nodded as they walked to his car, Kol and Alma trailing behind.

"Don't worry about me Elijah." She paused as he went to open the door for her, placing her arms around his waist. "If you end up getting hurt on my account that will not do me any good, so please don't do anything…'honorable' okay?" She placed a kiss on his cheek and sat in the car before he had the chance to object.

* * *

Darkness had fallen by the time they arrived at the forest, and as two of the cars met they began to set for their points.

"Well, here goes!" Damon joked as he approached with Stefan and Bonnie.

"Where are the others?" Stefan questioned looking for Rebekah Caroline, and Tyler. Bonnie pointed to the other side of the clearing where a red convertible-Caroline's newest car- pulled up.

"Sorry guys!" she quickly apologized as the two vampires and hybrid emerged from the car.

Damon nodded, but Elijah spoke up. "They can sense us here already. We need to move."

The others agreed as they separated, Elena following close behind Elijah, while Kol climbed into a tree to look ahead. Meanwhile, Damon and Stefan stuck close to Alma as promised, to protect her as she worked to separate Tatia from Katharine, and on Kol's cue the others pushed further west to ensure the witches would be weakened.

Elena fed off of Elijah's confidence as they moved forward, passing glances back to the Salvatores, who seemed on edge. She knew they didn't trust Elijah and Rebekah running point on the attack.

Kol fell to the ground in front of her, landing perfectly on his feet and pulled at his brother's arm for his attention. Without a word, the younger Mikaelson pointed forward, then motioned backwards towards the Salvatores, then again over to where Rebekah and her group were hidden beyond the trees. Elijah nodded, understanding, and disappeared for a second, reappearing by the Salvatores, then disappeared again only to be by her side this time.

_We need to pick up our pace. They aren't far._ He looked to Elena for a response, his usual soft features towards her were now hardened. This was the Elijah, the one whom she had been warned could be her worst nightmare, not the man she quickly began to trust first, know later and even later, when he left she found she could love him. Now, she did love him and trusted him with her life even after everything between them.

"Elena?" he said aloud, and she nodded quickly.

"Let's go."

The three vampires picked up their pace, leaving the rest of the group behind, and before Elena knew it, they were standing before flames. It was just like in her mind when they linked her to the ritual.

_All we need to do is distract them until Bonnie can get them weak enough. _

Elena understood, but as she was about to respond, Elijah was gone and a loud crash sounded over the crackling flame. She heard a shuffle as the witches ran to the other side and she turned to see Kol to her left. The vampire went to speak but he placed his finger over his lips to silence her, and pointed to what was now behind them, where Bonnie was chanting quietly.

"What, what's happening?" She heard a witch's voice cry out. She sounded frightened.

Elena took a step backwards, but Kol grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward again.

"Now Elena." He ordered, "Watch my back."

"Where is Elijah?" she demanded, shaking him off. She didn't like the fact that Kol was intending on trusting her to watch his back. Suddenly she heard a scream from the other side of the fire and another crash as a dark figure flew past the two.

"Elijah!" Elena went to run to him as he landed on all fours, but Kol once again pulled her away.

"Bonnie!" She heard Elijah growl as his eyes darted amongst the trees.

"You're good!" she heard her friend return sharply , and without a second guess Elijah flew to his feet and ran forward, not taking even a second to glance to Elena. She could have used that boost of confidence his glances always gave her, maybe even a thought.

"Elena- Let's go." Kol pushed her forward before he disappeared.

She told Elijah not to worry about her, she could handle herself.

Now she had to keep her word.

Looking back, she saw Damon stalking something in the deeper part of the trees as Alma laid on the ground in a circle of candles, her grimoire opened in front of her.

"Guys we have hybrids!" Stefan called, a warning to Bonnie's group.

"We know!" She heard Caroline grunt as another crash echoed in the trees.

Things were now beginning to get serious and Elena needed to act. She had to help protect her friends. With her speed, she ran through the fire, hoping she would be fast enough to avoid getting burned and was face to face with what could have been a war zone.

_They didn't expect out tenacity. _Elijah informed her.

Several witches stood in a circle, their backs to each other, each holding their hands up using the magic-what they had left after being weakened by Bonnie- to hold back two very irritated Originals, while bodies were spread across the clearing.

The witches in the circle turned their attention to Elena as she began to approach them cautiously.

_Looks like we ended up with the circle instead. _ Elijah sounded apologetic and Elena realized why. She looked to him for guidance, he knew she didn't want to make any unnecessary kills, and they had to die.

Before she could say anything more a force knocked her to the side, holding her down. Tara, Klaus' hybrid and another held her to the ground only briefly distracting the Original's enough to give the witches the chance to push them back and spread out. Elena struggled to her feet, her fangs piercing sharply through her gums as the second hybrid, a burly older man pulled her up by her neck.

* * *

Elijah wasn't about to back down now. Even as he saw Elena knocked down by the hybrids and he lost his concentration for a second, he knew they couldn't stop. Elena shared blood directly with an Original, he knew that she could over power them.

"Is she all right brother?" Kol called to him as he rushed two of the witches, ripping the heart out of one of them.

One of Elena's hybrids flew forward, crashing into a large boulder nearby and Elena was on him in an instant, snapping his neck and prepared to rip his heart out when Elijah turned his attention to the witches. Kol taking out the one had broken the circle so they were beginning to scramble to regain their power while trying to break Bonnie's spell. It gave Elijah the chance to open his senses to hear Bonnie's chanting quietly, and he could hear Damon and Stefan fighting off a small group of hybrids, in the distance he heard snarls coming from Tyler as they protected Bonnie from more hybrids.

Snapping back to the battle at hand, he ran back to the first hybrid, the female, that Elena knocked out while she got pulled back by another giving him the opportunity to tear out her heart.

A laugh erupted from the flames, bringing Elijah's attention to Elena, who was holding the hybrid back, using all of her strength, and Kol who was taking out each witch he could get his hands on.

"They keep coming Elijah!" He yelled to his older brother, "We need to end this!"

"There is a way to end this Elijah." Elena's voice echoed behind him now, but it wasn't her.

"Tatia." He faced the Original doppelganger, "How nice of you to finally join us."

Elijah heard a shuffle as Damon burst through the fire to stare down the woman as well.

"Now's the time Elijah." He told him, "Your girl started it." He was referring to the spell to separate Tatia from Katharine.

Elena was by the Original's side in an instant, her hands covered in blood and she snarled at her mirror image. She was being driven by the blood lust again.

"How nice of you all to join my party." Tatia smirked, shifting her gaze from Elijah to Damon.

The oldest Original turned to his younger brother as he heard Alma continue chanting. Kol was beginning to struggle, the witches powers, even though weakened, outnumbered him. He nodded to Damon to help him, he was going to concentrate on Tatia.

"Too bad it's almost over." Elena shot, stepping closer. Elijah noticed a gash down the young vampire's spine as it slowly healed. She needed to feed and her hunger was fueling her anger. She would risk losing control soon.

Elena went to rush Tatia when suddenly there was a flash and Tatia-Katarina's- body crumpled to the ground.

"Done!" Alma called. It was over.

Elijah went to turn his attention back to his brother and the Salvatore when he could sense Elena in a state of confusion, to a near state of panic.

"Elijah?" she whimpered from behind him. He turned back, forgetting about the fight, the hybrids still falling in line to attack, she needed him.

"Elijah, something's wrong." She swayed to her feet, struggling for her balance. "I-I can't see anything!"

"What's going on?" Kol and Damon finally finished off the witches and rejoined the other vampires as Elijah pulled Elena into his arms to see into her eyes. He tried looking into her mind, using the trick that enabled him to see what she saw, but only saw blackness.

"She can't see!"

The two looked on as they were joined by the rest of the group. Elijah hadn't realized among the commotion that the fire had died out, most likely with the magic holding onto it as well. Alma ran to him, pulling Elena out of his arms and examined her silent and seemingly empty body.

_Elena?_

"Alma, what do you think you are doing?" the Original snapped, causing the witch to quickly drop the young vampire. Once Elena's body hit the ground he approached her threateningly. "What have you done?"

"It's Tatia. I didn't realize-" she began to step back in fear.

"What Alma?" He growled about to attack but was pulled back by Tyler and Stefan and they pointed to Elena who was beginning to stir. The group began to surround her, but the blonde witch stepped away, pulling Elijah back with her.

"Alma, Elijah? What's wrong?" inquired Caroline while Elena's eyes fluttered open.

"That is not Elena!" Alma pointed to the ground as the young vampire shot to her feet, her eyes black with hunger.

"Very good witch." She smiled, looking Elijah in his eyes. He shuttered away knowing Elena was gone and now instead of Katarina's body-which he had carelessly forgotten about- she inhabited that of the woman he loved.

"Damon, take Katarina. Bonnie…Alma…fix this." The older Salvatore nodded as Stefan joined him.

"She didn't fully take over Elijah. "Bonnie warned, "She is still a vampire."

"She's right." Tatia smiled as she moved her fingers around, as if exploring new skin. "I can feel her you know. Her emotions are…intoxicating compared to Katharine's." She bit her lip as she eyed Elijah powerfully.

"Listen brother, if you won't kill her, I will." Rebekah directed, pointing to Elena/Tatia.

"Leave." Was all he said in response. "I will take care of it."

Tatia ran to Alma, allowing her fangs to pierce the witch's skin too quickly and Elijah ignored his sister's argument as he quickly separated the two grabbing her by the shoulders.

_Elena, can you hear me?_

_Elijah I'm here!_

"Aw isn't this cute?" Tatia cooed, and she broke away, backing up. "It's almost like a window and I'm looking in. I can see and hear her every thought."

_Elijah she needs to die. Please…_

By then they were alone, Bonnie and Alma ran off to get the grimoire while the blonde nursed her neck, the Salvatores ran Katarina's body to safety while Rebekah, being dragged away by Caroline and Tyler, argued. Only Kol lingered nearby, ready to jump in, in case matters got worse. Knowing his brother was nearby did not comfort the Original, he couldn't trust him to keep Elena alive if something were to happen.

"Eli…jah…" Tatia's sing song voice rang as she rushed before him, "She is very strong." She laughed as she pushed him, knocking the Original back a few feet. "Now we can play for real!"

Elijah shot to his feet ready to rush the girl but stopped when she pulled a knife from up her sleeve, unsure of what she was going to do with it.

"Yup. She was hiding this, it's as if she was asking for me to find it." She laughed, "You know…I wonder if she can feel pain."

_Elena…don't!_

_I-I can't do anything!_

Tatia lifted her arm-Elena's arm- and let the knife slice down her skin, allowing the blood to drip down.

"Stop this!" he grabbed her arm. Even though he knew her body would heal, as it already started, he didn't want her to go through this.

A piercing pain shot through his side as she smiled to him, holding the dagger against him.

"Elijah!" Kol yelled, preparing to run , but the oldest brother held up his hand to stop him as he pulled it out, pushing her away.

"Kol, get the witches to hurry!"

"Yes Kol…do get them to hurry. After all, it won't take long for me to find a stake and push it through her heart."

_Elijah, I'm sorry. Are you all right?_

_I'm fine. It's already healed._

He was more worried about her.

"Why are you doing this Tatia?"

The Original doppelganger, wearing the third doppelganger's face, which seemed so different now, laughed.

"Me? Elijah my love. You took Nicklaus from me. For a man of honor, as you so claim to your convenience, you should know it is considered dishonorable to separate those in love. For that, you will pay."

_Elijah do it, do something!_

He didn't know what to do. She was going to kill Elena to make him suffer.

"Of course you don't understand. Maybe you should tell her it doesn't matter. She thinks you are going to leave after this anyway, just like you always do. Maybe you should just let her go."

_Elena is this true? Do you believe this? _He was hurt.

_It's hard to explain how I feel right now Elijah._

Elijah let out a low growl, his demeanor shattered at the accusation-the thought-that he would leave her behind again.

_Elena I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I can't allow you to die._

Tatia stepped back hearing Elijah's words in her head but she was still too slow. Swiftly, he snapped her neck , rendering the possessed vampire unconscious just in time to hear Bonnie cry out,

"What did you do!" she knelt next to her friend as Alma placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"She's fine but we have to hurry before she heals."

Elijah stood back and watched as the witches worked their craft, chanting over Elena's limp body. Once they stopped, Elena shot up with a start, her eyes shifted around quickly falling on Elijah as the two witches stood. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her as he appeared before her, helping her to her feet.

Looking deep into her eyes, he knew it was her, Tatia was gone and hopefully this time for good.

"Welcome back." He said with a smile as he kissed her.

She tried to hold onto it, but he pulled away. "Elena, I am by your side, always and forever-or until you get rid of me, but you should know I do not falter easily."

Elena smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Okay, and Elijah?"

"Yes Elena?"

"Thanks for snapping my neck."

"Anytime."

* * *

**_I will have the "epilogue" posted for you guys within the next couple of days. The I will do the outtakes, while also working on my Forwood Drabbles (which everyone should go check out since I'm new at it lol) and I am starting another story within the next week or so. We shall see!_**

**_Please review and let me know what you think :)_**


	23. Epilogue Part One

**Okay sorry this took so long to get up, I have been really distracted trying to write my Forwood Drabbles and all sorts of other things. Here is Epilogue Part One, and I'm thinking tomorrow or the next day I am going to start posting the out takes on here and I am going to start with a short Caroline/Elena to Caroline/Klaus scene (You'll have to read it to understand)  
**

**Sorry this is kind of crappy, the main purpose of this was supposed to be just to bridge between the two parts so I apologize now! :)  
**

_**Epilogue One**_

Two Weeks Later

"Elena! Come on!" Caroline called from the stairs.

The brunette stood in front of her closet and sighed. She had no idea what to wear or where her friend was planning on taking her.

"_Listen Elena, you and I are going out this afternoon. Don't both calling Elijah. I made sure he was busy all day." _

She hadn't heard from the Original since the night before. He was "tending to his affairs" in means of his family which made her uneasy. Even in her death, Tatia's words of him leaving still played in her mind, over…and over again.

"Elena?" a light knock on the door snapped her out of her daze. IT was Caroline of course. "What's going on?"

Elena shook her head, grabbing random articles of clothing and throwing it back into the closet with distaste.

"I can't find anything to wear." She grumbled, closing her closet and moving to the bed where she put her head in her hands. She heard the blonde vampire shift to the closet and go through her clothes, then toss something next to her.

"Just wear that." Her friend was direct, as if she was frustrated by Elena's lack of clothing options. She remembered Caroline joking once about how she should "have her rich boyfriend take her shopping for clothes" but Elena just laughed it off. She could take care of herself.

She looked at the outfit, a pair of skinny jeans and a red peasant top and rolled her eyes, the outfit was more Caroline than her, but she didn't feel like arguing. She was going to have fun with her friend today and she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

"Fine." She responded as she pushed her friend out the door so she could change.

* * *

"So…where are we going?" Elena rested her head against Caroline's car window. She thought they would be going to the Grill, but they had driven past the bar about five minutes ago.

"We are going to lunch Elena. Geez, you don't need to be so pushy!" her friend joked. Elena could tell her friend was hiding something, but she was too distracted to argue.

"What's wrong with you anyway?" Caroline inquired, "You've been in a mood all day."

The younger vampire shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's nothing." She replied curtly.

Of course the blonde didn't believe her. She's known Elena for what felt like forever, but even she knew pushing Elena would get her nowhere fast.

"So…do you have plans for your birthday?"

Elena shook her head again as she watched the scenery fly by. That was what started her foul mood this morning, a birthday card from her old doctor had come pretty early. They didn't know she was dead after all.

"No, I would rather not think about it." She finally replied, and Caroline grimaced pushing her friend lightly on the shoulder.

"Will you knock it off? I'm sure Elijah has plans for you two, he seems like the romantic type."

Elena laughed, allowing her thoughts now to linger to the Original. The night before they had gone for a walk in the park, something simple yet she treasured it dearly. Their conversations were never boring, but when he walked her to the door, he told her that he had to leave to take care of "family business" and promised he would return early morning the day after tomorrow.

"_Give me your word." She held onto his hand, not ready to let it go just yet, afraid that if she did he would be gone forever._

"_Elena, you know I give my word. I'm not going away." He kissed her tenderly, while opening the door to her home and took her hand to lead her inside as he broke the kiss. " I will see you the second I am able to. Sleep well lovely Elena." He smirked as he closed her door on his way out._

"Maybe, but I doubt that. Besides, I haven't heard from him all day so I don't know what he's doing." She hadn't intended for her voice to sound so disdainful. She knew Elijah was his own man, and while she would have liked to consider him "hers" he was not her property. She was wrong to expect him to call.

"Well that's good since I told you not to talk to him anyway."

Elena smiled to her friend, knowing she was right and hugged her black leather jacket close to her body before putting the radio louder, drowning out the rest of her thoughts. She was going to lunch with Caroline so she was going to stop being a Debbie Downer and have a good time without any worries for once.

* * *

The pair pulled up to a restaurant just outside of town that Elena was familiar with, but had never been inside.

"Why here Care?" she questioned, feeling uneasy.

Caroline was more of a Chili's girl, or preferred to hang out at the Grill.

"Why not?" she asked, pulling in the parking spot closest to the door.

Elena shrugged, guessing she didn't really have a reason for questioning her friend.

"Besides," her friend's tone was serious now as her blonde curled bobbled around her shoulders, "a friend recommended this place to me, he said it had great food and I thought…you know, this would be a great place to take you for your first birthday as a vampire."

Elena gulped, she hadn't realized this was going to be a birthday lunch. She hadn't decided if she wanted to celebrate.

Caroline seemed to read her discomfort, "Listen, I went through it too remember? You guys helped me, so let me help you." She placed her hand over Elena's and smiled sincerely as she shut off the car. "Now let's go! I want to eat!"

When the two girls entered the restaurant, something immediately felt off. Caroline had become awkward and fidgety while they waited to be seated and once they were being led to a private table, the young vampire could hear the maître d's heart racing.

"Wait, hold on here for a second." Caroline smiled to the human, not having to use her compulsion to get what she wanted as she ran into the bathroom.

Elena waited, facing the bathroom door impatiently, when she felt a presence behind her.

"Elena, how nice to run into you here."

The brunette spun around, nearly losing her balance as the side braid in her hair swung to the opposite side of her shoulder.

"Elijah!" she wanted to hug him, but she was too confused. "What are you doing here?"

The Original smiled as he fixed her braid, the slight moment of silence gave Elena the chance to examine his appearance, which just like his physique, was never changing, in a dark grey suit in impeccable condition as always.

"Well, I recommended this place to a friend of mind and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the cuisine." Elena raised an eyebrow, wondering how stupid he thought she was as Elijah linked his arm with hers. "Would you like me to escort you to your table?" He motioned for the maître d to move on.

"Wait." She pointed to the bathroom, "What about Caroline?"

"I'm sure she will understand. I am merely escorting you to your table love."

Elena nodded, looking back to the bathroom, wondering what was taking her so long and followed Elijah's gait as they followed the man to a separate room with closed off double doors.

"Wait…I thought we were getting a table?" she grasped onto his hand to stop him, but he shook his head.

"Will you be patient just this once Elena?" it was a rhetorical question, and as they reached the door, Elena could sense other vampires on the other side.

"Wait for me!" Caroline called, running at human speed behind them. "Geez Elijah, don't ruin it!" The blonde burst the doors open and Elena heard Elijah quickly thank the maître d before escorting her through the thresh hold. The young vampire gasped at the sight of all her friends sitting at the long dining table.

"Now, don't be mad." Elijah whispered, "I managed to convince them all not to jump up and say surprise."

Elena smiled as her friends all got up to greet her while Caroline bragged about how she set up the party and how she wanted to use a restaurant as a change of scenery. Elena was approached by Damon first, who passed her a glass of bourbon. The older Salvatore pulled her away from Elijah with a grin and led her around the room where she was greeted by Stefan Bonnie Jeremy and Matt, even Alma, in all of her awkwardness, was there, but Elena had hardly noticed her until she slid closest to Elijah, barely allowing any space between them. She ignored it however, and turned her attention to smile at Tyler, who was hugging Caroline from behind.

"So Damon, how is Katherine?" she questioned. It had been two weeks and the two had already begun playing their game of cat and mouse.

"She's doing well, in hiding once again." He seemed distraught at the mention at the mention of the Petrova woman's name, but shook it off as he led Elena to a seat.

"Go on, let's eat!"

Elena sat at the table, surrounded by her closest friends and allies as they joked about how "old" she was becoming.

_Did you have a hand in this _Elena asked Elijah, gripping his hand under the table as she picked at the appetizers Tyler Matt and Jeremy insisted on getting.

_It was only my choice in restaurant. Caroline has been planning this for a long time I hear._

Elena smiled, leaning her lips on his shoulder, using this moment-this day- to forget about all of her inner demons.

_Maybe after this, you will tell me what is on your mind?_

Elena looked up to him in surprise. She had fallen out of the conversation with her friends moments before, and bit the inside of her lip.

_It's nothing Elijah._

She hadn't noticed Damon was watching her carefully from across the table until she looked up. He knew they were talking (or doing their brain mumbo jumbo" as he called it.) and wouldn't hide his feelings on the matter. She grinned towards him in an attempt to play it off like it was nothing.

When their meals came the group continued to talk, Elena turning her attention from Elijah, who was talking with Stefan from across the table, to talk to Caroline and Bonnie. They had a lot of catching up to do since the past two weeks have been such a blur.

Elena ate quickly, and caught Elijah's glance as she put down her fork. She had ended her conversation with her friends, and Caroline kept nodding her chin towards Elijah, she knew they wanted to talk, even if she hadn't heard what was going on in their minds Caroline was always observant.

He wanted to talk? She was going to talk to him.

She raised herself from her chair and put her jacket back on while placed her hands on Elijah's shoulders to signal for him to follow her.

She walked outside, a slight chill now flowing through the air, and the Original was not far behind, and turned to him the second the heard the door close.

"So?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes Elena?" he leaned against the wall, placing his left foot up. "You wanted me to follow you, so I assume you've changed your mind about not talking?" She could tell he was bracing himself for whatever was to come, but she only nodded and stepped closer to him and took his hand. She still hadn't said anything.

"Well, if you aren't going to speak, I have something for you." Elena raised her eyebrows in both confusion and surprise.

"What? Why?"

He shifted his feet, switching his left food for his right and Elena was nearly floored by his reaction. Elijah Mikaelson was anything but shy and never showed his nervous tendencies.

"Well...technically you could say it is for your birthday…"

_This is some trick to make me forget that I am trying to put him in a corner. Nice try Elijah._

"You didn't have to get me anything, " she stepped away from him with a frown, in an attempt to take back control over the situation, "I have everything I could ever need."

Elijah shook his head and reached into his coat pocket.

"I didn't buy it or anything Elena. It's something I thought you may appreciate though, after a conversation we had once." He pulled out a small black moleskin notebook, only the size of the young vampire's hand as he placed it into hers.

"What is it?" she catechized as she looked at the worn out cover. She went to open it, but he stopped her. Her nostrils flared when she looked up at him, but he spoke before she could argue,

"Not until you ask me if I plan on leaving you or not."

"What do you mean?"

_Busted_

A smile pulled at the corner of his lips, she knew exactly what he meant and he knew it.

"You think I can't tell Elena? You have been emotionally cold and consistently trying to shut me out since the ritual."

The young vampire hated Elijah's condescending tone, but allowed him to continue. "Ever since Tatia told me what she said to you, and we haven't spoken about that yet."

Elena let out a sigh. She knew he was right, she has been avoiding the topic simply trying to enjoy his physical company each day, but forcing herself to remain emotionally detached no matter how much it hurt.

"Fine. Let me tell you something then. You can't hold it against me for feeling this way. You have a pattern Elijah, it's not like you have never left me before." She spat the words trying to make herself seem tough even if she wanted to cry. "if you are planning on leaving…then I wish you would just go now so I can start to heal."

Elijah shook his head, and she could tell he wasn't arguing with her.

_Why isn't he arguing? Why isn't he telling me how wrong I am?_

"Elena, do you know what that book is?"

_Is he trying to change the subject now?_

"No I don't but that's-"

"Irrelevant?" he cut her off. "I am slightly offended."

"Elijah…" she put herself back defensively, "That's not what I meant."

"I know." He smiled, taking her hand that held the book and pulled her closer. "Now…this book is from my own personal collection. It is one of the first journals of Edgar Allan Poe."

Elena gasped, suddenly embarrassed by the way she had acted. "Elijah why? Are you sure?"

The Original nodded, not giving a reason. "Of course I am."

The young vampire examined the book and went to open it, but he stopped her again.

"Elijah…" she almost whined, she wanted to read it's pages but she remembered what he told her. Her features softened as he brought her hand to his lips, as if asking for her to explain herself.

"Fine." She gave in." You still haven't told me… are you leaving or not?"

Elijah smiled again and crossed his arms over his chest, looking accomplished, "Since I have told you this numerous times, I am not leaving you, however I am going to ask this. If I said to you I was going to leave tonight, and not return for at least a year what would you do? Would it really make a difference?"

Elena was shocked by the question, and she didn't need to think about it before answering. "I would follow you and don't think for a second that I wouldn't be able to keep up."

"Then allow me to explain, do you know why we leave?" Elena shook her head, "Well, you see when other supernatural creatures find out an Original was involved in anything-anything at all- in any sort of catastrophe, they tend to…flock. In this case, many witches and hybrids died which means they will come for us. As you remember, Rebekah and Kol left a week ago." He began to explain.

"But if you leave, doesn't that put the others you leave behind in danger?"

Elijah shook his head. "Depending on when we leave, no. We are the targets, generally nobody else becomes involved unless they go asking for trouble. It seems that chasing after the Original family has turned into what humans find entertainment in searching for Bigfoot." He paused for a moment, "Now, open the book."

Elena warily opened the book by the cover and admired the sloppy handwriting.

_This is perfect_

She briefly flipped through the pages as Elijah looked on intently, when she felt something thick in between the pages. When she turned the papers, she saw what it was.

_Airplane tickets?_

She turned them over, and looked to Elijah, her eyes glowing.

"Wha-what is this?" she rubbed them between her fingers, as if to see that they were real.

"I'm giving you a choice Elena. We can stay here, or we can go. I believe I promised you that I would show you the world."

At first, Elena was stunned, the tickets were to Spain, so she wasn't even going to be in the country.

"Will my friends be safe if anyone comes looking?"

Elijah nodded his head, he was sure. "Yes Elena. We are always the targets, worst case someone will come around asking questions, and they are already aware of this."

She could have considered it, she could have thought about saying no…she needed more time to think, but she didn't.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she knew what she wanted, and no words needed to be spoken at that moment, she wanted to be with him.

Allowing her lips to collide with his, he heard her answer loud and clear.

She would go wherever he wanted, and damn everything else.

* * *

**Let me know what you think and keep an eye open for the out takes :) They should be fun!**


	24. OT: A Piece of My Mind

**Okay…Here is out take number one. Now…note that these out takes may be short, they may be longer. Their sole purpose is to fill in any holes I left (intentionally or unintentionally) in Even in Death. None of them are Elijah and Elena based except ONE. That one will be rated separately from the rest of the story for…reasons. Each one I will give a short summary so nobody is confused, and when they took place.**

**I know these are not all EE, but I would appreciate it all the same if you left reviews. I rarely write other characters and writing these out takes and my Forwood Drabbles have been giving me a lot of practice so if you could give me any tips etc, they would be highly appreciated.**

**Thank you **

**As always, I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or it's characters. I would like to consider these stories mine as they are from my mind etc etc**

* * *

**Now!**

**A Piece of My Mind**

**Takes place in between chapters fourteen and fifteen (Tatia and Illusion)**

**Characters: Elena, Caroline, Klaus (This is not a Klaroline piece)**

**Enjoy!**

When Elijah had left with Bonnie, Caroline could see the anxiety crawling over her friend's features.

"Elena, you need to perk up!" she chirped as she walked into the kitchen.

_Damon has to have __something __other than bourbon. _She thought as she raided the cabinets only to come up disappointed. Closing the last cabinet with a huff, she searched the refrigerator for a bag of blood for Elena, and another for herself.

"Here." The blonde tossed one to her friend and sat down next to her. "Now stop with the melancholy act and cheer up!"

Elena smiled and began to drink, and the blonde could already see her mood was beginning to shift.

"Sorry Care…I'm just tired." The younger vampire apologized as she finished the bag. Caroline was familiar with this excuse, it was one of the oldest in the book. It was a nice try, but she wasn't fooled.

"Yeah okay, if you are tired it's only because you have a trio of vampires tearing you apart!" Caroline didn't care that she was being blunt. She may be blonde, a former cheerleader and high school girl (reminding her how Elena was lucky she no longer had to attend classes since Elijah offered her a vampire tutor during the time before she ran off to Detroit. It was his best effort to make her feel more normal, and to take her mind off of the transition. ) but she wasn't blind. After all, before Elijah had even come into the picture she was dealing with fending off Stefan and Damon's affections.

"No, it's not like that. I have barely spoken to either of them actually, it's like everything has changed Care. I think about them of course, but it's not the same. The only one I have feelings for is Elijah. It's almost like time stood still the second he found me at the hotel. Everything made sense, even when Tatia tried to push her wedge in between."

Elena seemed honest, and Caroline found this new…almost decisive version of her, much more mature. She seemed like for once, she knew what she wanted.

_Maybe she needed to break away from them after all…_ she considered.

"Why Elijah though?" she couldn't help but ask, there were so many other people, even humans that she could have had, Caroline was sure of that. "I mean…it seems like you two hit it off pretty fast considering."

_Since when am I the reasonable one?_

She had meant to continue with "considering hardly a day before he left you were stuck in the Salvatore's messed up triangle" or "uh…he locked you down in a tunnel with his crazy sister." But she chose otherwise.

"I don't know. He left me that letter, and it was so…heartfelt, almost human. I didn't understand what it meant at first, so I went looking for him, all while playing the words in my head, trying to decipher them. When I didn't find him…it was like all of my power was gone." She sighed, "He was one of the few people I could trust, even in his deception, he was predictable and understandable. I would have done the same things he would have to protect those I loved. Meanwhile, he was my rock as we got closer to the sacrifice don't forget. He gave me control over my own life, and that was all I wanted. While I wanted Klaus dead, it didn't matter as long as he kept his words to keep my friends safe. He did his best." Elena pursed her lips while Caroline listened closely, she had never heard her friend speak of the Original in this way so she made sure to pay attention to her words, and urged her to continue, " I guess he is just predictably unpredictable you could say. So no, I can't hold his actions against him, as he has never held mine against me either. Anyway…so when I found him, and everything happened I felt like we were on fire, but…" she shook her head, "We are what we are now. I care about him, unconditionally. I told him I loved him and I would do anything for him before I turned, at the time I think I loved the thought of him. I am beginning to feel that only change into something so much more precious, but I still have so many questions that I need answers to…I feel like we have so much left unsaid."

Caroline nodded as her friend put her head down on the arm of the couch, and curled into a ball.

"Why don't you go upstairs?" the blonde pulled her hair behind her shoulders, tying it back with a scrunchie she had on her wrist. She frowned when Elena shook her head, pulling the sheet that was laid across the couch over her body.

"No. I'm going to wait for Elijah to come back." She whispered, " I need to talk to him anyway, and he promised we would."

Caroline knew when her friend was hiding something, but she wasn't sure if it was Elijah related, Salvatore related, or maybe Tatia related since that had clearly gotten to her, but before she could turn her attention back to her, Elena was fast asleep.

* * *

Caroline sat in the living room, virtually alone while Elena slept peacefully on the couch. The blonde allowed her mind to travel to where her life was in comparison to her doppelganger friend.

Caroline had Tyler, she had friends and besides the occasional Klaus drama, which was more than occasional it seemed she was going to be okay. She recalled the memories of the Original turning her boyfriend into a hybrid, but not before compelling him to bite her so he could manipulate her…and her mother. Klaus had done nothing but make her life miserable, even though he claimed he "fancied" her., he could "show her the world."

_Right… after he kills one of my best friends of course._

That was what got her started. Caroline stood, with a new mission. She had a lot to say, and only one person to say it all to.

_Klaus._

She ran down the stairs, knowing her footfalls could wake up the other vampires in the house hold, and unlocked the thick steel door where Klaus' desiccated body was held.

"You…" she let out a low growl, and paused. She didn't know what to say after that. All of her thoughts, and allowing her anger towards the Original hybrid build, she hardly had anything to say. She knew she had questions for him, just as Elena had for Elijah, but he would not be able to answer them.

_Do I really care for his answers? _She asked herself, her own indecisiveness taking over.

This was Klaus Mikaelson, and he ravaged her best friend for something she had no control over. He destroyed people's lives.

"Klaus." She spoke as if he could respond. "I need to know why." She stared down at his lifeless body, the white ash dagger stuck there only for good measure-as a back up in case all else failed- wanting to wrap her hands around his neck. She would do it in a heartbeat, but she knew his bloodline was what kept her…and Tyler alive.

"You told me you "fancied" me and you wanted to show me the world. Instead, the only thing you have shown me is how to hate you."

She stepped back and turned away, lost in her own soliloquy. Caroline couldn't look at him, hell, internally she wondered if she could even bring herself to hate him. She didn't know him, she didn't care to know him. All she knew was he brought pain to her life, her friends, and her boyfriend. Even his own family suffered from his actions.

"A part of me wants you to suffer Klaus Mikaelson, yet the other half tells me not to care." She turned back to him, as she heard foot steps coming from the upstairs. Elijah had returned. "Your brother has more honor than you do."

She walked away with those words, leaving the Original hybrid, his body grey and nearly collecting dust behind as she closed the steel door.

She just gave one Original a piece of her mind, now she is about to give another an earful.


	25. OT: Why Would You Do That

**Okay…here is another out take! This one is a little short, but it gets my point across, I think.  
**

**Characters: Bonnie/Kol**

**Summary: Bonnie, angry and confused, seeks out Kol to ask him why he stepped in between her and his sister. –Takes place after Chapter 16-Presence**

* * *

**Why Would You Do That**

Bonnie Bennett was disgusted.

_Why do I have to work with these savages? _She thought angrily after Rebekah left.

"_Until Next time Miss Bennett!"_ Kol had told her.

Next time. Like there would be a next time.

When their meeting was over, Bonnie huffed out the door giving a quick wave to Caroline to follow. Walking to her car, she saw Elena, looking especially upset, in the passenger seat of the car while Elijah watched over her carefully. She would have gone to her friend, anything to make her feel better, but avoided having to pass even a glance to the oldest Mikaelson sibling.

_All they do is bring death, misery and complications._

She hopped into her car with Caroline not far behind where she sat, wanting to hit her head on the steering wheel.

"She looks so sad." The blonde quipped, her eyes fluttering.

Bonnie nodded intensely, refusing to divert her attention from the two.

"You shouldn't stare Bon. She cares for him. I'm not sure what their deal is, but with the way he looks at her? I would say the feeling is mutual."

The witch allowed a small grunt escape her throat as she shook her head.

"He's an Original, we can't trust him."

"I don't know…" the vampire attempted to reason, "Kol seemed quick to protect you from his sister."

_Kol…_ Bonnie twitched at the thought of Elijah's younger brother.

"Let's just go." She snapped as she pulled out of the driveway.

The entire drive to Caroline's, Bonnie's mind drifted to Kol and the strange interactions she had with the Original. She had dropped off her friend, when her anger began to build. It may have seemed illogical to any normal person, but the witch had gone from being distrusting of him, to being angry.

_Like I can't take care of myself. Who does he think he is?_

Bonnie was almost home when she reached the turn to the Mikaelson Manor. About to continue forward, she sat at the stop sign, as if something was pulling her to the mansion.

_I cannot believe I am doing this._

She pulled her coat tighter to her body as it was beginning to get cold out, while she walked up the driveway to the manor.

_This is so ridiculous…_

Her hands shaking from the chill (so she had convinced herself) she knocked on the door, each time her knuckles hit the wooden door they stung.

She waited for a moment, and pressed her ear lightly against the door but heard nothing.

"What are you doing?"

The witch spun around so fast she nearly fell over, and used the door knob to balance herself.

"Well?"

Now that Bonnie was face to face with Kol Mikaelson, she didn't know what to say.

"Uh…" she twirled her hair nervously, wanting to back up, but she was already plastered against the house. Bonnie Bennett was always confident, after all, she had the power of the Bennett line…but for some reason-she was speechless.

The Original was before her in a second, his eyes digging into hers.

"Miss Bennett, I believe I am behind on the times, but it is rude to come calling on someone else's home without calling first." He sneered, his eyes darting across her body, as if counting each time one of her muscles twitched, which was quite often. "It's a good thing my sister has retired for the evening, she can be somewhat of a …loose cannon if you will?"

Bonnie relaxed herself, even though she was beginning to regret her decision to stop here.

"It's nothing." She kept her voice strong, _He is an Original Bonnie, what the hell are you thinking?_ "I'm going to go home."

She tried to slide past him, but he placed his arm to her side, careful not to touch her. "Let me pass Kol." She growled.

"Not until you tell me why you came to my home." His voice was low, to a near growl as well, reminding Bonnie just how threatening this predator was to her.

She huffed, considering using her magic to force him back, but changed her mind.

"Why?" she chided, pausing for a long moment, awaiting his response.

Kol pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow with question.

"Oh Miss Bennett for the love of god spit it out. I may have eternity but I can practically see you aging in front of me!"

Bonnie gasped and narrowed her gaze. _Someone is quite the charmer, clearly. _She thought sarcastically as she shook her head.

"Why did you stand between me and your sister?"

She wouldn't dare put a name to the blonde Original's existence, she didn't deserve it. Half of the time, she didn't believe putting a name to Elijah, or Kol either.

"Why not?" he shrugged it off like it paid no matter, just a daily routine as common as brushing his teeth. Had he been anyone else, Bonnie would have thought he had a superhero complex, but she realized he just enjoyed irritating people, whether it be her, his sister or the Salvatores- it didn't matter.

"Are you always so pretentious?" the witch crossed her arms over her chest, trying to make herself come off as taller.

The Mikaelson brother looked into the sky and tilted his head as if making a decision with the stars.

"Well, I've been called pompous, arrogant, stubborn, childish and a jerk…hm…" he held up five fingers and pointing with his other hand "Oh and abhorrent. Prentious is remotely new to me."

Bonnie almost let out a laugh, but stopped herself, she was sure each of those titles were true.

"You didn't answer me."

"I didn't think I was required to?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Fine, don't but I am leaving."

He allowed her to pass this time to her surprise, but she didn't think it made her feel more comfortable. She had her back to the Original vampire and that was never a good idea. She wished she had the speed of a vampire at that moment, she needed to get herself out of this situation.

"You shouldn't allow the Salvatores to push your shine down." He told her, making the witch freeze in her steps. "You are quite powerful and don't forget they knew a Bennett they are quite aware of your abilities too."

"Thanks for the advice. I will make sure to keep that in mind."

The witch climbed into her car, her heart still racing from the encounter. She had no logical reason to be afraid, like Kol said, she was a Bennett witch.

She wondered how Elena did it, bedding herself with an Original vampire. No matter how intriguing their aura was to her, they still made her skin crawl.

A knock on the window snapped her attention back to Kol, who was poking his head into her car.

"What?" snapped Bonnie, rolling her window only partially.

"You are welcome._" _he emphasized the word as he smiled, bringing Bonnie to look down in an attempt to avoid the Original's lingering gaze.

She looked up to actually thank him, like he had expected, but he was already gone.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	26. OT: Just Leave it Alone

**A/N: Originally, I wasn't going to post this one, I had been trying to make the majority of my out takes not around Elijah and Elena, but I changed my mind out of boredom and since I haven't updated in a week I figured why not?  
**

**This one was inspired by a review from Gorramit Girl where she called Caroline, Elena's "White Knight" for giving the "if you hurt her" speech, I kind of took it and thought hey maybe she should be the one to defend our favorite couple ;)  
**

* * *

**Just Leave it Alone**

**Characters: Bonnie Caroline Damon and Stefan**

**Setting: Chapter Eighteen: Threat (While Elijah Is upstairs in the library)**

Caroline didn't understand why it was absolutely necessary for them to all meet up at the Salvatore's tonight. She had gotten a text from Elena that her and Elijah were supposed to go out on an actual date, and after the brothers' actions from the past few days when it came to the two, she couldn't help but wonder if this was a diversion.

_Stefan wouldn't do that…would he?_ She wasn't so sure about Damon. His heart was always in the right place-which was Elena- but she wasn't sure just how far he would go when he thought she could be in danger.

_I guess when Elena said he consumes her, she meant literally…_

Caroline pulled up with Bonnie to see Elijah's black Mercedes already parked in the driveway.

"Someone sure is punctual." The witch curled her lip in the direction of the car. Caroline shrugged, wondering if Elena was with him.

"Maybe he wanted to get it over with so he could take Elena for dinner." The blonde offered.

Bonnie raised an eyebrow to her friend, and Caroline realized she had no idea of their plans for the evening.

"It's no big deal. I think he wants to take her mind off of things. She deserves it." She didn't need to make excuses for her friend, or the Original, but she felt the need to be defensive. After all, she didn't mind the Original at all, at least not since Elena and him had grown closer and as long as this wasn't some manipulative plot on his end, she could see it being a nice change for her friend who had been torn between the Salvatores until he came along.

Caroline didn't say anything as they got out of the car, and walked to the door while Bonnie let herself in.

"Well what did you think would happen Damon? Are you kidding me?"

It was Stefan, Caroline heard his tone snap in a low whisper.

"Uh…what's going on guys?" Bonnie asked as they entered the living room. Caroline realized that since the brothers were arguing in a whisper, Elijah was not meant to hear this fight. She hoped her friends realized he could still probably hear them if he was trying to listen, or knowing how powerful the Original was (even though he rarely showed it) he probably didn't need to try.

"Damon gave Elijah an ultimatum. A dumb one if you ask me." Stefan snorted pointing to his brother lazily.

"Well…did it end in you daggering him or something?" the witch spoke up, a shred of hope in her eyes, which strangely affected Caroline, she didn't like Bonnie's complete distaste of vampires even if this one was an Original, who was linked to the cause of her mother's death. "Because I am sure he can hear you otherwise."

Damon shook his head, and pointed towards the ceiling. "No. He's going through some books in the library and probably trying too hard not to kill me."

"What did you do to him Damon?" the blonde vampire hissed. She hated his constant lack of thought before his actions; they usually did more harm than good.

"All I told him was if he helped me save Katherine, I would leave Elena alone." He defended himself as he poured a glass of blood, offering one to Caroline, as her eyes shifted between the two brothers, and she could see Stefan had more to say on that.

"It's all in your delivery brother, and that isn't exactly your strongest point."

Caroline laughed slightly while covering her mouth, she knew what that meant and the fact that Elijah-who wasn't In favor of the older Salvatore in the first place- hadn't killed him.

"Why does it matter?" Bonnie piped in, questioning the group and Caroline could smell the sense of "morality" coming out once again to rain on the parade. "All Damon wants is for Elena to be safe."

Bonnie hated vampires, but she hated Damon just as much, if not more than the usual, so for the witch to be defending him so nonchalantly surprised Caroline, and in a way angered her. Damon was no saint and while Elijah may not be perfect, he was not as reckless as the Salvatore so she firmly believed that Elena was safer-and more importantly, happier- with the oldest Mikaelson brother.

"Elena is fine." She found herself defending him now, which was a rarity in it's own. "You two need to knock it off." She balanced herself on one foot while pointing to the brothers. "You two pushed her away, and you know what, at least Elijah cares about her, and he is noble enough to understand you care for her too."

Damon snickered when she finished, he would never admit that he was wrong, no matter what it may take.

"Right Barbie, when did you become so understanding? Since when do you trust the Originals?"

Caroline could have told him about her conversation with Elena, she could have told him how much Elena cared about him, how it was just such a natural and nurturing care between the two of them, but she didn't want to betray her friend's emotions.

"When I saw the way he looked at her." She mumbled defiantly. She was not about to give up yet. "I think he would stop at nothing to keep her safe and I will gladly kill him myself if he hurts her, but after …after what I saw between them the other night, I cannot imagine him ever hurting her. "

Damon's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head as he fought to keep his voice down.

"You are joking right?" he laughed, "Do we know the same Elijah?"

Caroline nodded as Bonnie stared in awe, and anger at her friend. Her look of betrayal may have killed the blonde, but she wasn't about to stop now.

"If Elena believes she loves him, then let her be with him Damon. The most we can do is be here in case she was wrong but I truly believe he cares about her. Maybe even loves her as he had said once before."

She looked to Stefan, who wasn't arguing with either side and she wondered how he felt about their relationship and if he was just keeping quiet for Damon's sake.

"Not for anything Damon, but you can't say anything! You are trying to bring back Katherine after all."

The older brother laughed, ignoring the accusation like it was a moot point.

"It's not like that Blondie. I'm sure you know that though."

Caroline shook her head and let a "whatever" escape her lips. She wasn't about to argue semantics with one of the most stubborn vampires on the face of this Earth, even if she knew she could make him look like a fool.

She opened her mouth to speak again in an effort to change the subject, when she heard Elena's car pull up, and before she could say anything more, Elijah was down the stairs watching the group intently.

"Hey Elijah." She gave a half-hearted wave, hoping he had not heard the conversation they had just ended.

He smiled at her warmly, but turned away once Elena walked into the house, followed by Kol…and surprisingly enough, Rebekah.

**-End-**

* * *

**I'm not going to lie when I say this was not one of my favorites okay? Haha I just had to write out that scene though so I figured I would post it.  
**

**As always, please do review you know they are like crack for me :)  
**

**Annnd for some shameless self promotion, you should check out my newest EE fic called One Hundred Years and let me know what you think of that one so far (just the prologue is up but I will be updating weekly!) I don't think you will regret it (at least I hope not!)  
**

**Also (This is the last thing I swear) I am changing this story to rated M only because as I have started writing Part Two (and one out take) I realize they are a bit passed the rating of T (for quite a few reasons) and expect two more out takes and I will probably get both of them up next week so I can start posting the actual story.  
**

**One will be a Bonnie one and I do have an EE smut out take for you guys but you will have to wait and see if I slaughtered it ;)  
**

**Anyway let me know what you think of this chapter and I am done now I swear :)  
**


	27. OT: Admiration & Honor

**Only one more out take to go after this! Thank you guys so so much for the reviews :)  
**

**PS have you checked out One Hundred Years yet? That fic is the reason why I started doing these out takes so I could get used to writing other characters (and my Forwood Drabbles) soo you should check it out (shameless self promotion done now)  
**

**I hope you enjoy this one, I had fun creating Alma's character and since I don't really favor her OR Bonnie it was interesting to write them together.  
**

* * *

**Admiration & Honor**

**Characters: Bonnie and Alma**

**Summary: Alma explains to Bonnie why she trusts Elijah and her feelings towards him.**

Bonnie usually took comfort in the presence of other witches. She allowed their power to seep through her skin as it would make her feel alive.

She could easily become unstoppable.

This time, however, while she took comfort in the blonde bubbly witch's power, she couldn't trust her.

_She is an Original's pawn._

"Hi there!" Alma bounded before her with an extended hand, "I'm Alma!"

Bonnie took a step back, startled by her abruptness.

"Uh…hi." She smiled awkwardly, not taking the girl's hand. She had an idea of who she was, but she was still weary. "You're a witch too…"

Alma smiled coyly as she nodded. "Yeah, apparently I am!" she threw a glance towards Damon, who was talking to his brother nearby. "However, I was informed that I do not carry a specific witch bloodline. I am simply 'Elijah's witch'. Funny huh?" she giggled as she played with her hair. "So come on! Let's go talk some magic!"

This was not someone Bonnie expected Elijah to keep close, he figured any witch he had at his disposal would have been much more serious –matching his own personality. This girl seemed like an airhead.

Bonnie talked with the witch, who must have been in her mid-twenties, and began to realize that after not much conversation- she was not all there. Her eyes would dart across the room as if she was seeing things dancing on the walls. She could sense each time her power would reach out, attacking at nothing and Bonnie thanked the Goddess that her power was focused on some imaginary demon she was fighting, otherwise there would have been a disaster.

When the fight broke out between Elena and Rebekah, Bonnie had to pull Alma back before she jumped in the middle and at first, she thought she was trying to protect Elena from the angry Original sister until she saw the way the curly headed blonde eyed Elijah when he approached the rabid younger vampire. She was worried about him.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie could feel Alma's power surging through her body, but she relaxed at the Bennett witch's touch.

"Yes." She whispered as she sat down, sticking her nose right back in the book, shaking her head as if she was arguing with herself.

_Where the hell did he __find__ her?_

In a way, Bonnie was concerned, this was the witch they would depend on next to her, this witch's magicr was going to empower her own. Yet she didn't look like she could keep her own head on straight.

"So, now that that is all over with…we have a spell to perform, yes?" Alma shot from the couch with a bright, sunny smile and Bonnie nodded apprehensively as she joined the fellow witch to follow her upstairs.

The girls chose a room together as Caroline was going to stay with Tyler for the night and prepared to cast the protection spell.

The Bennett witch loved to practice magic now, when she first realized her abilities, she had been wary, but being in the presence of another powerful witch made her feel more at home.

Even if said witch was a potential psychopath with hallucinations and she wasn't sure if she could trust her. After all, Alma was "Elijah's" witch and that couldn't mean anything good.

The girls breezed through the spell , the power of two making the shields much more powerful than Bonnie had expected. She had been able to use a spell to keep Elena inside of the house once and then there was the spell that sealed the tomb, but even that one had taken a life.

"You shouldn't be so afraid to use your abilities Bonnie." The blonde smiled. "I know about the Bennett line, I know about the power you can harness." She winked to the fellow witch. "You just need to relax and stop allowing yourself to be controlled. Embrace your inner witch."

Bonnie's eyes opened wide in shock-and disbelief- and she caught herself laughing out loud. "I'm sorry, but you are Elijah's witch. I find it amusing that you are trying to lecture me on being controlled."

Alma laughed again, and pat her companion on the leg.

"There is a difference between you and I though Miss. I want to help Elijah. He does not force-or make me feel obligated- to do so." She smiled like a little school girl while her eyes glistened, "I lose nothing if we fail, you on the other hand, are obligated to help…or so you think."

"Yeah? Tell me, what makes him so special?" she hoped maybe this girl could shed some light on even Elena's infatuation with the Original, and why Caroline insisted on defending him when not long before she wanted Elena to be with Stefan over Damon.

Not that Alma's word could mean much; she was a nut case after all.

"He saved my life." She whispered, her tone, which was usually so perky and full of squeak, sounded somber now as she recalled what must have been a bad memory. "I would be long dead, or a vampire if not for him."

Bonnie refused to believe the oldest Mikaelson would save her without wanting something in return, and when she suggested it, Alma did not try and hide the offense she felt.

"You are kidding right?" the blonde's power began to sway in the air as her anger rose like an unstable scale. "You do not know Elijah Mikaelson, so you have no right to speak such atrocities."

Bonnie stepped back from the opposing witch, preparing to defend herself and tried to calm her down.

"You love him don't you?" It was the only explanation she could muster to make sense of the situation. This witch's reaction…her devotion to the Original vampire seemed unbreakable. "Unless you have been compelled?"

Alma shook her head, allowing her long curls to bounce like springs.

"No Bonnie. I do not love him, but Elena is lucky to have his love-even if he would say it is the other way around." She wavered, looking out the door to where Bonnie could hear Elijah's voice conversing with none other than Damon, the vampire who hated the Original possibly more than she did.

"No." Alma reaffirmed, "I do not love Elijah. I admire him, I trust him and for that, I honor him on my own free will."

There were things that, thanks to Elena, Bonnie could grasp. Loving a vampire is one of those… to a degree. However, this complete devotion, so close to love, was disconcerting to say the least. A regular human doing something like that could make sense-the thought of potential eternal life hanging onto them, but a witch was raised to hate vampires. Even Bonnie hated vampires and she wasn't raised a witch.

"I don't think I understand…" she started, but Alma put her hand up to stop her.

"Do you want to hear the story?"

Bonnie tilted her head, and asked herself if this was just a sorry attempt to get Elijah in her favor, but she opted to hear her out.

The Bennett witch nodded and crossed her legs as she sat on the floor when Alma took a deep breath, her eyes still continuously darting around the room still chasing the shadows that weren't there.

"I was five when my mother introduced me to the gift of magic." She smiled at Bonnie's reaction, "That is normal for my family, most start practicing around ten years old though depending. Anyway this is my story. By the time I was twelve I was a full practicing witch making myself and in turn…my family…a threat to the vampires that resided in Oregon, my home state. We had to move around a lot, my parents did everything they could to keep us safe." The girl's voice began to crack, showing a side of her that Bonnie didn't expect. "I was sixteen years old when they caught up to us…I came home from school to find both of my parents- torn to shreds and drained of blood- while one vampire drained my older brother in the kitchen. Next thing I knew, my brother was dead and I blacked out. " Bonnie wanted to comfort her, but kept her face expressionless, waiting for her to continue the heart wrenching story.

"I woke up alone, in the dark and when I tried to use my magic, I was blocked. These vampires had a witch and she was helping them."

"Then why are you so quick to help another vampire?" Bonnie cut in, not being able to help herself.

_They killed her family…_

She couldn't understand how someone could change so quickly.

"I can see you judging me all over your face Bonnie Bennett. Listen to the rest of my story before you question me again please."

Bonnie nodded slowly, watching the blonde click her fingers on the hardwood floor, she was beginning to lose her thoughts again.

"Okay, so the witch held my powers, while the vampires drained my body of blood, only to heal me again. They would compel me to see things –images- that were meant to haunt me, chase after me while I slept, if I got any sleep at all I can't even remember." She began to choke again as she cried, "One of them…forced himself on me while the other fed on my blood. Of course they wouldn't compel me to forget any of that." She paused again and shook off whatever else was plaguing her mind.

"I was there for two weeks before he came, apparently the female knew Elijah and when she ran into him, she accidentally led him straight to us. He killed them instantly and the witch too, but before he did she told him everything they did to me. He broke my compulsion and I no longer saw the demons. He saved me, he took me out of hell and gave me life. He even offered to compel my memories away." Alma began to regain her composure as she concluded her tale.

"I told him no, and I begged him to take me with him, where ever he went. He refused, saying it was too dangerous and instead gave me his home and a number to another witch he knew. She stayed with me and he called weekly from his travels to check on me. He thought I would never want to be around vampires again which is why he left I later found out."

Bonnie couldn't believe her story, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"So that's it?"

Alma nodded as she stood, "Yes maam. That's why when I heard about the ritual, before even knowing if he –or the doppelganger- were involved, I called and offered my services. He had no idea I was staying in Virginia at the time."

The blonde went and moved to the bed to put her head on the pillow, still leaving Bonnie unsure of what to think.

"If you don't mind Miss Bennett, while I enjoyed story time, we have a very busy day tomorrow."

_What a strange girl…_

Bonnie got up and went to the door to shut it when she heard Elena, Elijah and Damon laughing from downstairs.

She considered trusting the Original, and while she was beginning to believe Alma's story, she still felt uneasy.

_I will trust him this once, and hopefully he will just go away afterwards…_

* * *

**So what did you think?**_  
_

**Alma is going to make a short appearance in part two and she will be some what significant but you will have to see :)  
**

**The next out take is a smut scene that was originally written into the story, but I took it out to keep it at rated T then I decided to change it to rated M anyway...so that will probably be up by the end of the week  
**

**(Don't forget to check out One Hundred Years!)  
**


	28. OT: Last Legal Drug

**Last Legal Drug **

**Characters: Elijah and Elena**

**Summary: Taken out entirely to keep rated T but changed the rating, so I decided to throw this in. This is the more "smutty" version of what happened in the events after Threat. Title based on the song "Last Legal Drug" by Korn as the entire phrase is "Love might be the last legal drug" It's a little raw...not in the sex part (I guess) but more as in lack of plot. I had to cut a lot of it out because the story changed when I took out this scene. (This was an actual out take, as in I wrote the scene with the story, then took it out and changing a few things splitting it into two chapters)  
**

**I hope you enjoy this, it was my first time writing a technical "smut" of any sort besides Hazardous which was actually take two lol  
**

**Please review!  
**

* * *

Elijah Mikaelson had always been a man known for his self-control; it was something he held onto with pride. It was only natural he would offer her the chance to wash up, but Elena was clearly not interested.

He knew what she wanted, and even though his own control was faltering around her (a reason why he left her once, close to two years ago) she would beg for him, and he knew he would love it.

He followed her outside, where she slid out of his balcony door and hopped onto the railing, the rain still coming down in sheets. Had she been human he would have begged for her to come inside, in fear of her getting sick or slipping off of the railing and getting hurt. It wasn't long before that she was human, and physically fragile. The thought reminded him that if he had given into his feelings for her then, he was sure he would have broken her, but now he didn't have to worry. He could break her over and over again and she would just come right together, only wanting more.

Elijah watched her from the doorway as she sat on the edge of the balcony, her beautiful blue dress, her long brown hair, now soaked from the rain that was pounding powerfully against her body, plastering them against her perfect skin. Any other woman would have looked like a wet rat, but Elena Gilbert was radiating with beauty and perfection as if untouched by the harsh weather.

"I didn't think rain hurt Originals" she smiled, reminding him again how badly he wanted her, he always had.

Shifting for only a moment, Elijah considered pulling her in from the rain, but there was no use. He knew she wasn't going to budge.

Giving in, he approached her carefully, while strategically placing his hands on her waist, rubbing his thumbs right in the crease of her thighs and parting her legs, giving him the space he needed to get closer.

Elena balanced herself by putting her arms around his neck while wrapping her legs firmly around his waist, guiding his lips to hers.

Elena always knew how to take what she wanted, she found it-as of late- to be a gift of hers, and when she found herself begging to be the object of the Original's affections, she was working in overdrive.

When she pulled him in for the long awaited kiss, she could feel him start to pull away, bringing out a low growl in frustration.

_Do you not want me?_

She dug her nails playfully into his neck, asserting her current state of dominance over him, and drew the smallest amount of blood. A mischievous smile parted her lips into his as her tongue explored his mouth, toying first with his bottom lip, where she could still taste the wine from dinner, and then it found it's partner which was acting as meticulous as always.

She gave him the slightest nip, focusing on his bottom lip again, startling him enough to cause Elijah to grab onto her leg for support. She could feel her insides, from her brain down to her sex, accept the contact gratefully as her own arousal became stronger, pulsating against his.

Her leg twitched as his hand, possibly having a mind of it's own, travelled up her dress.

_Of course I do. _She heard his voice in her mind, telling her she had won, as her body screamed in anticipation. His finger grazed along her skin, moving inward until they reached her, still protected by her underwear, a simple black set that she found appropriate for the occasion.

She moaned quietly into his ear, and she could feel his body stiffen-not in fear- as he rubbed her outside, bringing her attention back to his lips without much success.

It hadn't taken much to get Elena ready to go, this was something she had been waiting for forever, so she dropped her knees slightly, giving him the space he needed to enter her.

Of course, this was Elijah, and the build up along with the tension was what he lived for.

Already wet with pleasure, she could feel him with each millimeter he touched, a shock rushing through her skin as he moved her panty to the side and gently slid his fingers into her while catching the extra moans with his lips, focusing on her lower pout, in an effort to start out slow-and enjoying the tease- he brought them out just as quickly as he put them in, and ignored all of her complaints.

He brushed her hair, heavy from the rain, to the side as she teased his tongue with her own. She caught onto his game.

They were starting over.

He went to pull back again, allowing their lips to barely touch while continuing to plant light kisses as he looked into her eyes with her face cupped in his hands. She stared back at him, her gaze more of a golden brown now with the way the light of the moon reflected against them, and returned the kisses much softer than before.

Elena was beginning to swoon as if each kiss was his own way of saying "this is just a taste". She had never suspected Elijah to be submissive to her, but his silent dominance-proven with his actions and self-control, were all wonderfully enticing and making her want so much more.

Each kiss, now entwined together between the two of them like a dance, was as passionate as it was calculated as if each movement of his tongue against hers was thoughtfully done with a specific goal in mind. It was no surprise to Elena of course. Since their minds were connected In thought, they both knew what the other wanted so clearly. They shared their enjoyment, and sometimes their displeasure. Even now, if Elijah's goal was to knock Elena off of her feet, he would have succeeded had she not been using his hair and back for leverage.

She allowed another low moan escape her throat as his hands massaged her lower back, turning his attention to her neck and allowing her to speak (which came out in a mumble) of what she wanted.

"Elijah…" she breathed his name, thrusting slightly against his erection, dripping in fury. He had begun to suck lightly on her neck, each time she could feel the love bite forming, then healing right away. He allowed his hand to return to it's intended target, taking her attention back to him where she allowed her fingernails to trace the contours along his jawline, placing her lips on the base of his neck.

She gasped into him as he allowed his finger to beat lightly against her nub to a song she couldn't hear. The feeling, a numbing hum, brought her to push back into his lips to prevent her from crying out and as his beats soon traded for a pressure from his thumb as his other two fingers entered her.

He gave her a coy smile as she groaned, sweltering on the inside. She was no longer "dripping" in fury, but pure erotica, when she let out a loud gasp, grinding carefully against his hand.

She hadn't forgotten that they were outside, she hadn't forgotten that it was pouring. She just didn't care anymore and secretly, Elena hoped that someone could see. Whether it be Damon, Stefan, or even Tatia herself, she wanted them to know that this god? He was hers, and she was his.

Elena's low moans and hot breath into his ear, as she begged for more, were tempting. He removed his hand slowly bringing her to growl like a dog, but he left his placement under her dress on her inner thigh, tracing designs into his skin with his fingers.

She found herself weakening under his touch as his other hand ventured down her neck, forming an invisible line between her breasts and wrapped his arms round her wait, his other hand balancing her as he led Elena to her feet which were like jelly in is hands, forcing her to back against the wall of the balcony.

"You are absolutely indulging my lovely Elena." He smiled before kissing her neck, his suit (along with his hair and skin) were soaked, but he ignored it as he allowed his fangs to piece her skin, but only briefly as if testing the waters. Quickly, he licked the blood away as she moaned, which was just the reaction he had hoped for.

"So indulge in me Elijah. Please." She begged, leading his head back down to her neck, hoping he would reopen the wound, giving her the feeling of life once again a different feeling from when she was human, but he didn't.

"I have other plans love." He whispered, brushing kissing down to her shoulders while she returned by rubbing her hand carefully up his leg.

He wanted to strip her bare right then and there, but his own subconscious stopped him. Falling to his knees instead, he began to kiss her dress, starting at her hip.

"I can take it off you know." She offered, running her fingers through his hair, the excess water dripping over his eyes.

He smiled agreeably as his hand moved up her dress, exposing her bottom half.

"I don't think that will be necessary." He replied, running his tongue along her inner thigh while maneuvering her left leg over his shoulder. Had he been much taller, it would have been impossible, but luckily for the both of them, she was able to bend to his will.

"Elijah…" she let out a quick sound that turned into a squeak towards the end of his name as his lips made it to her nub, playing softly. He lightly sucked while playing lightly with his tongue, keeping one finger only partially in her entrance as a tease.

The Original had to use one hand to steady her as she nearly collapsed under his touch, reminding him that she has never been with someone like him-which gave his ego just the boost he didn't need when it came to the bedroom- . Once he pressed his hand against her, he continued to enjoy her body , taking in every single taste of her as he tore off her lace thong tossing it to the side and finally did what she was begging for.

Indulge in her.

"Oh god" she whimpered, using a brick that was sticking out of the wall as a lever to hold herself up. She arched her back, giving him more room and each movement giving her exactly what she needed, bringing forth curses entwined with moans of his name.

He enjoyed each scent of her, almost like raspberries freshly picked from the bush, her skin tasting just as sweet.

He could feel her pulsating on the inside as she matched his movements-unable to keep quiet anymore, as the passion between them heightened, burning with desire and need.

She reached her climax, a rush of senses fulfilling both of them as she let out a cry while he cleaned her out savoring each taste, but he could tell she was far from done.

Bringing him to his feet, she kissed him, something that surprised the Original since he was sure he still had her sex on his lips, but she wasn't bothered, they were passed that now.

Turning away from him when she saw he wasn't going to continue on her, she plastered herself facing the wall, the bricks cold from the rain. She moaned as she began to pleasure herself, something Elijah would not have minded watching, but not this time.

"No!." he growled moving her hands above her head while pressing his body against her back breathing in the scent of the rain (which still had not lightened up) from her hair and then her neck, which she graciously left open for him, teasing for round two.

"Bite me." She snarled as she pushed against him. He could feel her senses screaming at him to follow through as she was being literal-yet one more way Elena Gilbert surprised him.

He obliged, first teasing her skin by running his teeth against it, and when she sighed he allowed them to pierce her flesh. Elijah expected her to cry out in pain, but instead the moment his fangs went into her jugular she let out a low moan while loosening into his grasp.

Most vampires did not like being fed on just like their human counterparts so this was new for him and something he was going to enjoy.

He reached around to her front, and began to caress her folds, careful not to be too rough, by the way her body writhed in his arms at the contact he was aware of how sensitive she was.

"Harder" she moaned, getting one hand free and placing it against the back of his head as she breathed heavily towards his mouth. However, he stopped allowing her body to completely collapse into his arms as he carried her back to the bed, onto the black silk sheets.

She made a humming sound from her throat as she took his hand. "Hey…not fair." She whined, pointing to his clothes. Elena had already climaxed once, but yet he still had all of his clothes on.

"Oh don't you worry," he smirked," I'm not done with you yet."

The younger vampire pulled him closer, spreading her thighs so he could place himself on top of her. Placing more kissed over her skin, she lifted herself up to pull the dress over her head allowing Elijah to carelessly toss it to the ground.

She fell back into the bed while he took in each inch of her, squeezing one breast in his hand. Letting out another moan as he traced the contours of her curves, Elena was ready to throw all foreplay out the window and quickly undid his shirt to expose his chest-a sight she wasn't likely to ever want to take her eyes off of.-

She tossed both his shirt and jacket with a smile, "About time." She whispered, rapidly undoing his belt while pressing her hand against his length, which has been ready and waiting impatiently while she lowered his pants, considering teasing him this time but couldn't put her own body through the torture.

She pulled him on top of her as she nipped at his ear. "I want you now." She pushed, turning him against the bed, preparing to jump him if he didn't give her just what she wanted.

He fought her, reminding her who was stronger as he instantly reversed the position reclaiming his place on top.

Turning her into the blankets, which were now wrapped around their naked bodies he growled into her ear, "Are you challenging me?" his breath was cool now against her burning skin as each sensation was tossed into overdrive.

"I always would have taken you for someone who liked it rough." Elena's voice was hoarse, but that didn't stop her from pushing the Original off of the bed against the nearest wall, knocking the picture to the ground. Elijah smiled, enjoying the new, slightly more dominant girl as he took her chin with his fingers, leading her ear to his lips.

"You have no idea."

He lifted her, allowing her legs to wrap around his body and switched walls. He had to remind himself that he had no reason to fear hurting her, and as the sheetrock crumbled around them on contact (Elijah always was one to show off) it didn't matter. They forgot it the instant Elena's body hit the wall, he was connected with her beginning by thrusting slowly, as if balancing out the damage he had done, inside of her as she moaned In exasperation. She was unable to form words even though she was trying as hard as she could.

Elena hadn't expected-as wonderfully amazing the foreplay had been- it to feel so powerful. Two minds truly connected as one, knowing how to move, where to touch, it was perfection in disguise and while she knew Elijah had felt it early in their excursion, she was getting it full force now, allowing her body to move with his. He moved back to the bed, still inside of her as he lifted her legs over her head, admiring her flexibility. He was about to come, and by the way she squirmed under him, she was reaching her point as well, for her second time. He was determined to make her scream beforehand.

"Oh god" she grabbed onto his legs while arching her back, allowing him to penetrate her deeper, hitting her core with a groan emanating from both of them. Elijah made it a point to admire her as she ran her fingers through her hair, her chest rising and falling in ecstasy. Determined to be closer to her, the Original fell back down, allowing their foreheads to touch, his body becoming weaker as he reached closer and closer to coming. Kissing her neck, he thrust harder into her as her moans became louder echoing against his bedroom walls. Pulling him closer she locked him into a kiss as she reached her climax, the pulsation around his length bringing him to follow right behind, a wave cast over the both of them as he filled her insides.

A brief pause between them as they lay naked, with Elijah remaining on top of her as they caught each other's breath, not ready to separate as their bodies heaved against the other.

"Okay you win." Elena whimpered as she rolled him over to the side, still facing him, their noses touching as he slid out of her, causing her to gasp in the slightest manner.

He pulled her in for a kiss, even his own body shaking from the experience, that was different from anything he had ever had before, and cleared the hair from her face wanting to look at the beauty that belonged to him.

"Whatever you say love." He whispered as she simultaneously allowed the words "I love you" to escape her lips, something she had not said in the longest time.

* * *

**Please review :)**


	29. Prologue: We Return as One

**Finally! Officially starting part two of this :) This prologue is short, and probably crappy as anything, but it will get better once the story gets rolling, which won't take long so no worries!  
**

**I appreciate the feedback I got from all of the out takes and the entirety of part one, I hope this does not disappoint! as always, please review and let me know what you think!  
**

**Oh, and my disclaimer; I do not own the Vampire Diaries (and even if I did, I would still tell you I didn't.) the story is my own creation, I'm just simply borrowing the characters from their rightful owners.  
**

**Even in Death Part Two**

**Prologue: We Return as One**

It had been one year since Elena left Mystic Falls with Elijah, and had you asked her at the time if this is where she thought she would end up, you would have been laughed at.

"Are you ready?" Elijah asked her. Their plane from New York had just landed back in Virginia as Elena, in her usual –convincing- prowess, got the Original to agree to the one thing he hated the most.

New Year's Eve in Times Square.

"The last time you asked me if I was ready, I was going to my almost unpreventable death." She retorted, a gleam shining in her eyes as she took his hand.

She was ready. She was ready to return to Mystic Falls, ready to see her friends in person, as Skype was never enough (Jeremy had done her the favor of Skyping her friend's entire graduation ceremony, just so that she was still there, even though she was in France at the time.).

What she wasn't ready for, was the thought of returning to normalcy.

Elijah and her had discussed their future and agreed that maybe spending some time apart would benefit them both. After spending an entire year living together, they wanted to let the flame burn out and while not completely finished with each other, they were slowing down. In an attempt to give Elena space (that she never wanted) Elijah had even left for a short weekend leaving Elena to enjoy their private beach of the Galapagos while he attended to some business.

Once they returned to Mystic Falls, Elena was planning on going back to her own home, while Elijah was planning on staying at the empty mansion, which seemed pointless (and in Elena's opinion, it was) but in order to fall back into their lives, they needed to do everything in order to separate themselves from what they have.

Elena wouldn't deny she wasn't a fan of this plan, but she could understand the theory. Technically they had only been together for a year, and moving slowly was Elijah's forte. Naturally, they weren't about to pretend their relationship hadn't gotten stronger over time. They were in love, and if there was a word to describe something stronger than that, that was what they were.

Once they were allowed to depart the plane, the young vampire wanted to turn back, hide out on the plane and hope nobody noticed.

_Maybe we can hide until the plane takes off? _She smiled to the Original, realizing she was not yet ready to go back. She wanted to stay with him forever, just as they had been for the past year.

She didn't believe she was ready for this change.

Elijah looked back at her with a curved eye brow and she already knew they couldn't do that. After all, they have spent a year away from life and while Elijah was used to doing so, having lived a larger part of his existence in seclusion, he wasn't about to let his younger vampire counterpart have the same fate. She needed her friends and what little family she had left.

"How do we go back from this?" She hadn't meant to speak the words out loud, but what was done, was already done so she caught his glance after speaking as he led her off of the airplane.

"We don't love." He shrugged casually, as if he shared the same thought, "We carry it with us as yet another chapter in our story."

Accepting his response, Elena followed Elijah through the crowd of people, the sea of unfamiliar faces, like dolls in a museum, each passed glances to the couple as if they were strangers- in a world filled with strangers- strangers in which Elena enjoyed the irony.

_It was possible that, for once in his life, Elijah Mikaelson felt complete. He was able to sit out and not worry. Just this alone could have been perfection, but having Elena by his side is what made it all that more enjoyable._

_The couple sat in a coffee shop in Spain, Elijah admiring the brunette as she held out a ginormous map, indecisive of what she wanted to do for the day._

"_You know you can't leave my side right?" spoke the girl, subconsciously tapping her free fingers on the table, without looking up. "I only took a little bit of Spanish…and I didn't do so well."_

_Without a word, he only smiled to her as he took the map out of her hands and turned it over-the correct way._

"_I'm not going to leave you, but you have inspired me to teach you a few things during our travels."_

_Elena took a sip from her coffee, which wasn't as strong as she would have liked it to be, but the taste was exquisite, different from American coffee so he knew she didn't mind the change._

"_What wonderful news Professor," she joked, kicking his foot under the table, "Then my friends won't be jealous that while they are at school, I get to travel the world with the best travel guide this side of the galaxy."_

_Elijah laughed while taking a sip of his tea. During the harder times of their friendship, such as when he first met her, he never got to truly experience the sense of humor she kept bottled inside. It was something he could easily appreciate and get used to._

"_I believe if you are to call me a professor of any kind, that is frowned upon in human culture due to…the nature of our relationship"_

"Elijah?"

The Original snapped out of his memory, and back in the airport he stood by the main entrance, still carrying Elena's bag.

"Yes Elena?"

"I asked if you want me to call for a cab."

Elena was staring up at him, her usual doe eyes large with innocence, and he remembered he did not explain his plans to her.

Allowing his gaze to travel to hers, his eyes smiled while he shifted a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

"Oh right, I must have forgotten to tell you, I took care of it." He winked before entwining her hair in his fingers and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He held his hands on the back of her head for a moment, allowing his lips to remain on her skin.

A car horn pulled their attention to a white SUV that neither of them had recognized until Caroline, clad in a white winter coat and blue jeans, jumped out of the passenger seat. Elijah had to remind Elena before their flight that the cold New York winter was also affecting Virginia so she was wearing her long black coat with her jeans tucked into her boots and a scarf wrapped around her neck. Vampires didn't feel cold the same way humans did, but they still needed to look the part.

"Elena!"

The two girls met halfway, quickly embracing each other in a hug while Tyler climbed out of the driver's seat and shook Elijah's hand when he approached.

"We figured she would have a lot of bags, and Caroline's car wouldn't have room, but it looks like she miscalculated Elena's shopping habit." The hybrid pointed to the singular, but large suitcase and slightly smaller duffle bag over the Original's shoulder.

"I have the other bags being sent to the Gilbert home, but thank you for your consideration. When in the mood, the lovely Elena does indeed know how to shop." He smirked, motioning for the car as Caroline and Elena caught up. "As expected, Caroline was correct about her friend, she knows what she wants."

He caught Tyler's smirk at the irony, knowing nearly first-hand what happened between the girl and the two Salvatore brothers.

He jumped as Elena wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, nudging her head into his shoulder.

_Hah, I got you this time. I'm doing much better._ She joked, she loved playing these games with him. Trying to sneak up on the "all powerful Original vampire" could have ended badly for her but he had quick reflexes, and sometimes he would let her win just to see her smile rather than pout if he caught her.

_Only if you say it in Spanish _he returned the thought, pulling her next to him as he helped her into the truck.

He realized Elena, who was always so scarce of her affections with him when it came to her other friends (mainly the Salvatores) , was much more comfortable around Caroline and her hybrid boyfriend. They were the only ones who seemed to accept them for what they were, even after everything both of them had been through as a result of his family.

_Well?_ He prided into her mind teasingly, allowing her to buckle her seatbelt.

_I am not sure…but I do remember one phrase…_

She smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder, interlacing her fingers with his own.

_Oh yeah? And what is that?_

_Te amo._


	30. Don't Pull Away

**Thank you as always for the overly positive reviews :) I didn't re-read this entire chapter, so I apologize now for any grammatical errors. The chapter title and lyrics underneath are from the song "Too Late" by Ashes Divide.  
I hope you enjoy! Please review :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Don't pull away**

_**I will not lose you to the melting sky  
Or to the mad parade  
To the bloody jaws or the fire fall  
Don't be afraid.  
You need never know, a cold heart, heart of stone  
Or lonely memory, you will never be alone**_

* * *

When they returned to Mystic Falls, Elijah could feel the tension through Elena. He knew she wasn't prepared to go back to a "normal" life (as normal as they could ensure possible) but he had to insist.

She was still young-forever- and he didn't want her to waste all of that on him, she still had so much to learn and to experience.

That's why he was pleased when she agreed to returning to their own homes after their one year adventure. He didn't enjoy the idea of being away from her, but she needed it, she needed to grow. While on their travels, Elijah had talked her into going to college, which is why they returned when they did. Elena had agreed, realizing that he was right; she shouldn't miss out on life experiences just because she was a vampire, and decided to study Anthropology, not only would she have a perfect tutor but it was something she would be able to use at some point (and the idea of being able to talk with Elijah about certain topics hadn't skipped her mind either).

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he had to double check with the young vampire as she began to purchase her books for her classes at the college book store. It was their first day back and she instantly engrossed herself back into "normal" life.

"Yeah, it will keep me occupied and away from the thought of being home." She smiled, teasing him with the blame of why they were there in the first place. "Besides, you can't tell me that you- Mr. All-Knowing- didn't spend at least half of your existence with your nose in a book." She laughed as she nudged him with her hip while thumbing through the selection of books, finally grabbing the one she would need. Elijah responded by placing a kiss on the back of her head, taking in the strawberry-kiwi scent of her hair.

'Well, you have one week until classes begin, so do you have anything special planned?"

He watched her hug the books closer to her chest tentatively as she walked towards the register.

"I'll probably be seeing Bonnie and Caroline this afternoon, but that's about it. How about you?" she handed the clerk her debit card without taking her eyes off of the Original, "Will you be seeing Kol and Rebekah?"

The clerk handed the bag across the counter, but Elijah took it before Elena was able to. "No…they have yet to return, if they ever do." He knew how his siblings were. Now that Kol has been awakened, time would drag if he was not constantly on the move, while Rebekah could leave for years as long as she has no ties to where she left, and that much was undecided.

Regardless, it was likely they would return knowing they had nothing to run from; it was just a matter of when.

"Oh." Elena dropped her gaze as she pushed passed a couple through the door. He could tell something was on her mind but he didn't want to pry. The brunette wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head lightly against him while they walked and kept her eyes to the ground as if avoiding tripping over his feet. "When I get back later…will you come over?"

Elijah smiled at her bashful expression as he opened the car door for her, tossing her books in the backseat. Their deal after all, was to spend _some_ time apart, but even he did not want to deny her of her request. He also had grown so used to her company, even though he realized he never showed it as much as he should have. "Of course Elena," he joined her in the driver's seat, "Whatever you desire."

While Elijah drove to get Elena home, he enjoyed the silence that filled the car. It wasn't an awkward quiet, or out of anger, or even because neither of them had anything to say. After spending the entire year together, being just the two of them, the couple had grown past the need for words, and even for two vampires who could share thoughts, it was a wonderfully…close feeling.

Once they arrived at the Gilbert home, Caroline and Bonnie were already there, impatiently waiting by the blonde's car talking with Jeremy. Elijah could see the vampire pass him a partial wave, and at first he thought it was to Elena but when she pointed, he laughed, returning the gesture.

"They're here early…" Elena complained, letting out an airy sigh. He felt her soft touch on his hand as she brought his attention away from Caroline's license plate that he hadn't even realized he was staring at.

"Then you should go." He replied quietly, turning his hand into her palm to give it a slight squeeze. Of course he didn't want her to go, but she needed to spend time with her friends and he could respect-and understand- that. She would be nowhere without them after all. There was no need for him to be overbearing here. He heard Elena huff and pause as she went to get out of the car before turning back to him. "What's wrong love?" he tilted his head curiously at her indecisiveness but she only shook her head.

Looking to him with a smirk, the brunette pulled him in, locking his lips with her own. Surprised only for a second, Elijah reciprocated by pulling her closer, not caring that her friends- and brother- were probably watching, at least for a moment. It reminded him of his own family, had they done this in front of Kol, his youngest brother would surely have a smart comment or make some funny sound effect to go along with them.  
Breaking away from her, he ran his thumb down her jawline.

"Call me when you get home then."

When Elena joined her friends, both Caroline and Jeremy wore goofy smiles, as Bonnie's face was tight in a grimace, but for her friend's sake was trying to hide it with a smile as she sipped her hot cocoa.  
Quickly wrapping her friend in a warm hug, the witch changed her expression as she watched Elijah drive away. Elena had pretended not to notice Bonnie's face, an act she had grown accustomed to even before she left. The witch hated vampires but had learned to tolerate Damon and Stefan, who hadn't all been peaches to her and her family, however, the Mikaelsons were a different story.  
At times, Elena wondered if she even realized that her two best friends were vampires as well.

_"I never thought I would complain about the sun since I've turned." Elena shielded her eyes from the powerful Galapagos rays as she looked out onto the private beach from their gazebo. The sun was beating down on her olive skin which was partially exposed by the white tank top and denim shorts and if it were possible, she would be burnt to a crisp by now._

"_You'll adjust." Elijah, who had become Elena's footrest while they sat in the wicker chairs, wore a light-weight black t-shirt and jeans. He passed her a pair of sunglasses from the edge of the table as he slipped on his own. Elena admired this new look he had, for once the more…appreciative parts of his body, seemed more comfortable and free. "Will you be all right tonight?" he questioned, running his hand down her leg to her ankle as it was draped across his lap. "I can arrange for something to do for the weekend if you would like?"_

_It was always so 'like' Elijah to have people at his beck and call, and even though she knew he would be gone for a couple of days, she didn't want any company unless it was his.  
The couple enjoyed the beach for the rest of the day, Elijah watching from the gazebo as Elena would write words into the sand with a stick, hoping to get certain phrases finished before the waves washed it away. It was her own little game. She began to tease him, saying she bet he wouldn't be able to read the words by the time the ocean took them away._

"_You should know better than to challenge me lovely Elena." He returned.  
The young vampire looked up, her knees deep in the sand and waved him off as she went to stand. "I believe there is a song that goes 'Pride is a lonely blanket when you speak' Elijah." She winked at him and turned to see a wave coming in to shore, and opened her mouth to challenge him again, but was cut short by a crash as the Original tackled her into the water._

"_You cheated!" she cried out with a laugh as a wave pushed over them, soaking their clothes.  
"Actually, you cheated first. You didn't write anything." Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him under the crystal blue water for a kiss, which he followed through, allowing his tongue to dance with hers as she pulled him closer using his body as an anchor against the waves. She wasn't about to let him go, even when they separated their lips with Elena's back still against the smooth, sandy ocean floor as they were now yards out into the ocean. Pushing himself to the surface, he held her by her lower back, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist._

"_We are both soaked!" she laughed, pressing her forehead against his, kissing him again, allowing drops of saltwater to fall between them. She continued to kiss him, and before he could warn her to hold on, they were on the beach again, this time his back against the sand as he pulled her on top of him._

_Her hair was soaked with sand as he attempted to run his fingers through it, but Elena had other plans. Without giving him the chance to protest, she took his shirt off, and rubbed her hands along his chest, enjoying the feeling and soon the taste as she ran her lips gently against his skin. Had she been human, the salty taste would have made her gag, or her throat swell but it no longer bothered her._

_Elijah-a man of so few words- only pressed her harder against his own chest, forcing her to take a slight nip at his skin, pulling lightly at him as she ran her hand down his leg, being a tease. The Original, however, was in no mood for teasing, and in his own silence, with a low growl, surprised Elena by tossing her back into the sand to remove her shorts while she gasped quickly pushing him back. He let out a heartfelt chuckle deep in his throat, as he moved closer, pulling her into his lips as she maneuvered him between her legs, pressing against his rapidly growing erection. She pressed on, continuously teasing him as she allowed his lips to move down her neck. Her usually smooth skin was rough from the beach sand all around her shoulders but he didn't let it bother him. At first, she knew he was considering scooping her into his arms to bring her back into the beach house he had rented so they could enjoy each other on the bed, or the shower…or hell, even the ocean, but Elena wanted no part of it. She was very content on taking him right where they were and he had lost the resolve to fight it. Her shorts were already off, so the game had started, there was no need to change scenery now. He ran his hand over her inner thigh as she kissed him, pulling off her underwear and gently placed his fingers around the outside of her entrance and instantly felt her body curve into his even more allowing them to slip into her already wet and warm folds.  
As if she was waiting for the cue, Elena rapidly undid his belt, and followed with his jeans as she smiled an accomplished grin into his lips and gave a playful tug on his hair with her free hand, relying on only her knees to roll him against the sand again, to return her attention back to his neck leaving the slightest bite marks each time. Enjoying watching them heal instantly, she realized had she been into more…explorative means of pleasure, she could find herself having a lot of fun with his body. _

_ Elena caught herself letting out a loud moan –unintentionally- as Elijah brought her attention back to him, slipping his fingers out and manipulating her hips to put himself inside of her. Pulling him up to a sitting position, she held his head close to her neck while she moved against him, making sure he heard every single breath she took. She always knew vampires didn't feel temperature as humans did, but at that moment (and every other moment they had sex) she could feel the heat burning off of their bodies.  
Elijah pulled away to face her, giving her the opportunity to kiss him as he lifted her shirt over her head, nearly ripping it in the process so she was only in her bra. It didn't matter anymore that it was broad daylight, and any passerby could accidentally wander onto their part of the beach and catch the show, they were too enthralled in each other's movements for any of it to matter. _

_The younger vampire's legs began to tremble as he matched her strides, swaying his body against the sand while she pushed against him, arching her hips so she was just in the right position to hit her spot, causing her to grit her teeth from the pleasure, which brought out the fangs for only a second. The slip up's of the vampirism could be a hassle, if they were more like exhibitionists (which he could have been at one point in his life…sex in a bed for one thousand years must have gotten boring after all) but secretly, Elena was glad they hadn't become more romantic until after she had turned because any form of sexual contact with Elijah Mikaelson would likely kill the human her, as even now she was about crumbling to pieces under his tender touch. It was a completely different (not even near being comparable) feeling then when she had been with Stefan. _

_ Feeling Elijah pulsating inside of her, she knew they were both ready to finish, and moaned his name into his ear, every single part of her body burning in pleasure and dug her nails into his back, making sure to draw blood. In return, she could feel his teeth, no longer blunt, pierce into her jugular just in time for both of them to come to their climax.  
Still inside of her, they rolled to their sides, holding an embrace as they kissed, in a way still not done with each other, as they could never tire. Not of their bodies, or their company. Soon enough, Elijah pulled out of Elena, and pulled the girl to his chest, just two completely naked bodies without a care in the world staring at the sun. _

"_Good thing this is our beach." Elena smiled, rubbing her head against his skin to get the sand off unsuccessfully, but he didn't say anything. "Elijah…what's wrong?" She hadn't seen him watching her affectionately, just smiling as if nothing could go wrong, but he could never say things like that as when being around Elena Gilbert, he knew something very well could go the wrong way, which is what he found most intriguing about her._

"_Nothing my love, I only wish I didn't have to leave you tonight."_

Elena snapped out of her warm thoughts to only be reminded that winter was here, and she wasn't in the Galapagos anymore. Now, she was sitting at the Grill with her friends sharing drinks and laughs while Elena told the more…PG rated versions of her travels (because she was sure her friends…well...except maybe Caroline, would want to hear about her "personal" excursions in each country they visited, each one being so delightfully different from the last,) and Bonnie, along with the blonde vampire told stories of all the graduation parties they went to, and things they have been doing over the year. In a way, Elena was sad that she missed the fun, it was the part of senior year she had been looking forward to but instead she spent the better part struggling with her transition and then the tutor Elijah hired to help her (at her request) when he pushed her about her education. She had flown past the regular high school curriculum and could have started college with everyone else, joined them in parties and fun times, but decided travelling the world with an Original vampire would be a better idea.

She wasn't wrong.

"So Elena, I'm not going to deny the fact that…" Caroline looked to Bonnie as if she could continue but the witch motioned her on as if to tell the blonde to reap what she sewed. "Well…we…I…thought you two were going to come back married and pull a Twilight and be pregnant or something, and I mean, the thought of you getting married abroad would have been AMAZING but I hoped you would have invited us!" her eyes were shining as she examined Elena's hand, searching for a ring to confirm or deny her suspicions.

"No!" the brunette laughed, "He just…he showed me things I never imagined though, and come on Care, you know I would never get married without you as my planner anyway." She smiled, thinking of the idea of marriage, but with so many years ahead of her, she had a long list of things to worry about first, and instead chose to recall some more fond memories of her travels.

"I still can't believe he took you to all of those places." Mused Bonnie with a hint of jealousy as she tied her hair back away from her face carelessly. Elena shrugged it off, she didn't want to sound like she was bragging to her friends so she wanted to change the subject.

"I don't know, I think it's sweet."

_Caroline…always the romantic._

Being able to avert the topic, Elena began talking about college and her friends gushed about how happy they were about Elena attempting to live a normal life, even if she would be a semester behind. Even Bonnie seemed proud of her, but her smile faded when she saw her friend's eyes shift to the door and Elena turned around to see Stefan and Damon sulk through the door, approaching the girls.

"Why hello Miss Elena." Damon smiled, his canines gleaming in the bar light. Elena gave him a once over, noting his appearance. He seemed stressed out and like he just rolled out of bed from a drinking binge.

"Uh, hey Damon…are you all right?"

Stefan nudged his brother forward while politely informing her "He's been impatiently waiting for you to come home, he was about one day away from jumping on a plane and flying to god knows where to drag you back here."

Elena only smiled and stood to greet them both. Even though they have been on rocky waters, they were still friends, and even while she was away, she made it a point to call both brothers whenever she had the chance.  
She truly missed their friendship, and being across the ocean from them with someone that she could honestly admit she loved, she realized that, as long as the feeling wouldn't remain clouded by their love for her, she wanted nothing more than for the brothers to be back in her life.  
Wrapping her in their arms, the Salvatores agreed on one thing, they were just glad to have her back (and be in one piece, as Damon whispered to himself.).

Scooting over, she allowed them both to sit in the booth. Damon squeezed himself in between Elena and his brother as the group resumed the conversation and enjoyed their drinks. It was like she had fallen right back into her old life, the way things used to be-or could have been- except now she was missing something…someone by her side  
_Elijah._

After their lunch, Elena prepared to go back with Caroline and Bonnie, but Damon insisted on driving her home since Stefan was hanging back at the Grill and he wanted some company.

"So milady, am I bringing you back to your house?" Damon asked, mocking a British accent and Elena nodded, her hair bounding in the wind as she slid into his car, him following suit.  
"Yes please." She laughed trying to imitate the accent as well, but failed miserably. It took more than a few weeks spend in England to actually master it apparently. "I have plans tonight."

Damon parted his lips for a moment and Elena prepared herself for one of his smart remarks but instead the Salvatore reached across and placed his hand over hers, gripping it tightly. The contact, from anyone looking in, could have been taken as romantic, but the touch itself was friendly and for once in the longest time she felt comforted by him. Her worries about going back to a normal life disappeared, but only for a moment.  
She wanted to be back in Spain, London, Japan, or anywhere else she had been- with Elijah.

"Elena…" Damon began, his blue eyes pleading into hers, "I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

The brunette matched his gaze, her eyebrows furrowed. "You don't need to apologize. I know-I understand." She corrected herself, "You were looking out for me. I don't blame you for not trusting them Damon, I was more upset that you didn't trust me for trusting them. "

He let go of her hand to turn on the car, a strange notion that Elena wasn't used to and that only solidified the feeling of friendship she wanted with him. It was strange how Damon letting go showed her where they stood, maybe that was all that needed to be done all along, and there was nothing she could have said to push that along.

The vampire asked her questions about her travels as he drove, and then his focus as he pulled up to the house, went to Elijah and the other "leftover" Mikaelsons.

"He's treating you all right?" It was a dumb question, but Elena appeased him with an answer anyway.

"Of course Damon, besides…I can take care of myself you know."  
He rolled his eyes with a grin and the two hopped out as Damon led her to the door.

"It's nice to have you back squeak." Elena hadn't realized that while she was gone, Damon had come up with yet another nickname for her.

She fidgeted with her keys in the lock and when the door finally opened, Damon snatched her arm, pulling Elena into a tight embrace and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Have fun…doing whatever you are doing tonight." He joked before turning away, but the younger vampire grabbed his hand to pull him back before her.

"Thank you Damon. I know things were put off between us, but I need you in my life, you are one of my closest friends."  
The raven-haired vampire's face lit up, and for a moment, he looked incredible human, almost vulnerable as he smiled, pulling her back to his chest again.

"Always, Elena. I want you to be happy, but I want you to be safe first."

Pushing him away and down her steps, Elena waved him off as he got into the car, leaving her to the house and with plans to make.

Elijah, armed with a flower from Rebekah's personal greenhouse, pulled up to Elena's just as Jeremy arrived, being dropped off by Matt, who passed him a curious look. The Original hadn't forgotten about his sister's short attempt to befriend the human and he still wasn't sure if she had done it to spite Elena, or if there was something more. Elena's younger brother motioned for him to follow him to the door, where the sounds of pop music and the smell of Italian sauce filled his senses. Quietly, Elijah edged into the kitchen as Jeremy placed the milk on the dining room table, knowing to avoid his sister. When Elijah peered towards the stove, he saw Elena, dressed in a black pair of yoga pants (her favorite lounging clothes he has noticed, and was not complaining,) and a purple sweatshirt , boil water and dance around to the music.

"Aren't I the lucky one? Dinner and a show."

Elena froze and slowly turned around with a giant, embarrassed grin on her face.

"Didn't we discuss this?" she pointed to him, "What good are these vampire abilities that you gave me if I don't know when you are nearby?"

"Well, I think the music just about threw you off." he winked, watching her curiously as she threw the pasta into the boiling water. When she was done, she approached him, giving him the chance to hand her the bright sunflower.

"Aren't these a little out of season?" she questioned, marveling it's beauty, but the Original shrugged.

"Oh, are they? I was unaware. I will have to tell Rebekah's gardener."

Elena smiled brightly and placed a kiss on the base of his throat, a motion that she was unaware made his knees buckle.

"Now go away. You are distracting me from the food." She nudged his shoulder, turning him in the direction of the living room where Jeremy sat, watching tv.

Quietly, Elijah leaned up against the wall, watching what must have been ER on the television when the youngest Gilbert spoke up.

"You can sit you know. Not only does my living room come with two couches, but I don't bite."

Raising an eyebrow, the Original slid onto the opposite couch while Jeremy watched him carefully. Elijah was no fool blind to how he felt about his relationship with his sister, that much had been made clear when they left, and he began to understand (even though he disliked it as well) why she tried to avoid him while they first began "seeing" each other.

Human families could be very different from his own; it was something he had come to understand over time.

"Do you watch this?" Jeremy asked, putting his feet on the coffee table.

Elijah looked at him before the television, seeing the physical similarities between the boy and his sister, and from what Elena had told him over time (mostly in the beginning of her transition) they sounded very alike in personality as well.  
Family above all, always and forever.

"I did for a while, but I got wrapped up in my own studies in the nineties and to be honest I do not have much patience for the medical inaccuracies and the unnecessary drama. Too many relationships in the workplace could never end well I'm sure."

Elena's brother nodded without taking his eyes off of the television, as if he saw it in a new light now.

"Is that what you've done all of your life? Study?"

Elijah nodded proudly as he fussed with the throw pillows on the couch, "I've found that even though I will never change, the things we learn can shape the world as it shifts."

Jeremy nodded again listlessly, but shook his head as he turned his attention to the Original, seemingly interested, and went to say something when they were interrupted by Elena practically singing the words "Dinner!"  
The two exchanged glances and shot up as Elijah went to set the table- nearly forgetting his manners- only to see it was already done and his flower to her as a centerpiece, sitting in a thin vase. He didn't have the heart to tell her that the flower would most likely be dead tomorrow, even with proper water.

"Sit." Elena ordered from behind him, "And tell me, win? Or blood?" she pointed to each of the choices as if portraying Vanna White and Elijah smiled, pointing jokingly to the bottle of red merlot to pour himself a glass.

Over the course of their travels, many of the times they would go out to eat so Elena could enjoy the taste of true foreign cuisine and other days he would insist on cooking which was when she would catch up with her friends, or help him (which meant by distracting him) or just keeping him company.  
This was the first time she had ever cooked for him and as he tasted the lasagna, he wished he had allowed her to cook more often when she begged. He just never felt the need, and cooking had the habit of making him feel closer to being human.  
He enjoyed his meal, even though he didn't have to eat, in silence while Elena and her brother talked until Jeremy steered the conversation to the Original, asking more questions about things he had studied, things he had learned over the years and what more he would do for the future as Elena watched in awe. Even she was aware their relationship was filled with the general animosity on her brother's side, she wondered if Elijah had ever even noticed him before as he always ignored the snide comments and dirty looks, especially when he would visit her at Elijah's second home before she returned to Mystic Falls. Finding the two men in deep conversation amused her, and Elijah could feel the happiness emanating from her, she felt at peace, and a different kind of peace than what he had previously experienced with her.

_How long will you be staying tonight?_ Her voice asked in his mind, trying not to divert him from the conversation of President Nixon.

_How long would you like me to stay?_ He smiled, only looking at her from the corner of his eye.

_Forever? I can deal with forever I guess. _She teased back, rubbing her foot against his leg under the table playfully.  
Elijah didn't want to push her away, but he had to allow her to live her life and he had every intentions on guiding her as best as he could-even if it meant sitting on the sidelines while she did so, so when he only shook his head, she frowned, but he quickly recovered.

_Maybe by your side, but not in this house my love, there are so many things you should focus on first, don't you agree?_

_Maybe?_

_With my word Elena, always and forever, you know this. I want nothing more than to be by your side, but I want you to experience life first and foremost._

Elena accepted his response, even though he could tell she wasn't entirely pleased. It was natural for her, she was always being told what was best for her and never being able to make her own decisions but deep down she understood his intentions. She just didn't want to admit it.

She stood to take his and Jeremy's plate but Elijah argued, "Please, allow me. Go and relax love."

Jeremy was already gone, running upstairs and locking himself in his room, mentioning something about having a goodnight in a quick speech beforehand, and Elijah quickly cleaned off the table, listening as Elena followed her brother up the stairs, and by the time she came back down, he was done after cleaning the dishes and everything put away. She tossed a large yellow comforter on the couch, and turned the tv back on.

"Oh, am I banished to the couch then?" he joked as he appeared before her, quickly moving the hair from her face.

"No, only if you want to be." She beamed as she sat down , pulling him in for a kiss, helping him out of his suit jacket, revealing his black dress shirt. "I thought we could watch the ER marathon. I know how much you enjoy it." She winked as he joined her on the sofa, wrapping them both in the blanket.

After getting tired of listening to the Original banter about the inaccuracies of the show, Elena began to flip through the channels, landing on Law & Order reruns and finally handed him the remote. She didn't care what they watched; she had everything she needed being curled into the arms of the man she loved.  
It was all she ever wanted.

"I'm glad you came over tonight." She whispered, resting her head on his chest.

"Why wouldn't I?" he queried, "Do tell me why I wouldn't want to spend my evening with you?" It was their first full day back, having landed late in the afternoon the day before, the rest of the day and evening spent unpacking and rearranging Elena's closet (which Elijah swore he would have to fix someday, poor girl was a disaster,) until he had to leave to unpack his own things before the start of the new day.

Elena groaned some form of a response and buried her head under the covers as Elijah pulled her tighter.

"I don't know…because you know me?" she laughed, "Or because we did this nightly for a year straight and you are probably sick of me?"

This time, it was Elijah's turn to laugh as he pulled the blanket off of her head.

"No Elena. I do not only know you, but I love you, and it is because of that, that I would do this every night for all eternity…" he paused, looking at the television as the irritating and never ending theme song for the show came on, "Even watching horrendous reruns of this each time."


	31. Back to Normal

_**Thank you for all of the reviews :)  
**_

_**I forgot to mention, but I am silently calling Even in Death Part Two; Consequences for the sake of plot, if that is any hint as to what will happen in the future.  
**_

_**The chapter title here, and lyrics are from the song Back to Normal by Kendell Payne.  
**_

_**I do not own the lyrics to this song, or the rights to The Vampire Diaries  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter Two  
Back to Normal**_

**There are no guarantees, no promise they can make us**  
**Our faith's a fighting seed planted deep in desperate trust**  
**I will take every moment I can get**  
**And won't regret I share your name**  
**To Love is worth the pain**

* * *

When classes began, the reality of normalcy had hit Elena pretty hard. There were times she would enjoy it now more than ever as she had learned her self-control over time but with the stress of school adding onto it she had to remind herself that she had the best teacher one could ask for.

She was only taking a couple of classes so whenever she was free Elena found herself spending time with her friends or studying.

Luckily, it was the weekend once her last class ended and she was planning on spending her night with Elijah finally after a night of drinks at the Grill with all of her friends.

"It looks like the Grill is going to be pretty packed with the supernatural tonight!" Caroline ran to her friend as Elena was about to get into her car.

The brunette nodded happily, just wanting to get home and get ready.

"Are you bringing Elijah?" Without an invitation, Caroline sat in the passenger seat her blonde curls bright from the sun, even though it looked as if it would snow soon.

"I think so, we haven't really talked about it. He's been helping me with my classes." Elena replied with a coy smile, at least, he had been "helping" her for a while, but she was caught up with everything so she couldn't help but get distracted once in a while.

"_It's frowned upon to have a relationship with your professor; they never said anything about your tutor." _She had joked with him one night earlier in the week.

"Sure…helping you with your school work…" her friend laughed as she closed the car door and tossed her books in the back seat. "So come on! Let's go!"

The girls went back to Elena's and quickly got ready, the blonde as usual throwing clothes from Elena's closet around her room to find the perfect outfit…for Elena. She hadn't intended on bringing Caroline along, the thought of her and Elijah being in the car together worried her, but what was done was done. It wasn't like Caroline and Elijah had any problems with each other, in fact they seemed to get along well.

"So who's driving?" the blonde asked, getting dressed and Elena had been completely blind to the fact that her friend had brought her clothes with her, making her wonder if they had these plans all along.

"I guess I will drive." Elena shrugged as she pulled a blue sweater over her white tank top, "Is Tyler meeting us there?"

Caroline nodded as she looked out the window, putting her hair up, "Well, it looks like Elijah is here." She stated, seeming distracted. "Maybe we will get to take his car."

Yanking on a pair of pants, Elena ran to the window to see Elijah exit his car and casually head up the driveway and she ran downstairs before he made it to the door.

"Elijah!" Elena burst open the door, startling the Original, "I thought I would pick you up." He shrugged as she allowed him inside, placing a light kiss on his cheek.

"Well, you weren't entirely clear so I figured I would just take the initiative." He responded, moving a strand of hair from her shoulder affectionately.

_Yeah, sorry about that, Caroline came and I didn't realize that we were going together._ She smiled and turned her head up towards the stairs to where her friend was bounding down in a bright pink party dress and white heels.

"Hey Elijah!"

The Original nodded to her with a warm smile, "Good afternoon Caroline." He stepped to the side as she ran next to him.

"I hope you have the backseat of your car cleaned out." She winked as Elena pushed her friend to the side, hoping she would stop acting like a fool and drooling over his car (which she seemed to love).

When the three arrived at the Grill, Bonnie was already there with Jeremy and Tyler. The group waved to the others while Caroline ran to her boyfriend, wrapping him in a tight embrace. Soon enough they were joined in the bustling bar by Damon and Stefan who instantly went to the bar to order drinks.

This was Elena's first night that she was able to actually spend with Elijah not having to worry about school work, or much of anything for that matter. She didn't mind spending it with her friends of course as they were indescribably important to her and she wanted nothing more than to spend time with them, and being able to include Elijah in the group was comforting and she expected it to not be as awkward as it used to be.

The group spent the evening laughing and drinking and sharing stories while Matt, who joined them later on, questioned Elena about her travels having never gotten out of Mystic Falls before, and even asked her about their visit to California. Out of all her friends that she had left behind in Mystic Falls, she missed Matt and Bonnie both inexplicably. She felt like Caroline was by her side the entire way with her constant (and enjoyable) phone calls and skype dates.

It was late by the time everyone began to part ways, and Elena was relieved to see Caroline ready to walk out the door with Tyler, and when she peered out the window, her eyes lit up into the darkness.

"Look Elijah!" she grabbed his hand before downing one last shot at the bar and dragged him to the window, "It's snowing!"

It rarely snowed in Mystic Falls, and now that she could see it, she wanted to jump in excitement like it was Christmas.

"Come on!"

Pulling the Original to the door, she watched as their friends ran to their cars to avoid getting stuck in the storm that was forming rapidly. All of them but Bonnie had run out, who was sitting at the bar still as she waved goodbye to her friends.

Pulling the Original out into the snow, Elena ran into the middle of the parking lot spinning in circles as she looked up to the sky with her arms outstretched. For once, she was in heaven, they had a get together with all of her friends and there was no dramatics, no empty threats, not even one glare shot in Elijah's direction. Simplicity was all he ever wanted for Elena and for the longest time (at least, since he met her) and it seemed that for once- as she danced happily in the snow- that she could finally have it. Normalcy, happiness, her friends and family _as peaceful of a life that he could give her, _he thought to himself. That was what mattered to him, anything else remained unimportant, resting in the back of his mind until one would come to bite him in the ass as it always had whenever he found himself growing attached, whether it be to a friend, or family, loved one or town.

He would do anything however, to make sure it didn't happen this time. Their problems seemed to disperse now that Klaus was no longer a threat- as long as the Salvatores kept their word in holding him hidden among Bonnie's enchantments- and as long as the witches who had been involved in Tatia's regeneration stayed away as well.

Yet, with everything so perfect, the Original still felt like something was out of place.

"What's wrong Elijah?" Elena popped up before him, drawing his attention to her bright, faultless smile and his eyes grazed to her hair which was strewn with large snowflakes.

"Nothing my love, I just relish in your happiness is all." He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her body and placed a kiss on her forehead, which was ice cold to the touch.

"Well then come and enjoy this with me!"

Elijah began to protest, but she wouldn't listen as she pulled him out from the awning into the snow which was picking up speed. He parted his lips to speak, but they were caught by Elena, who had leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and nearly caused him to stumble back.

"It's very different to be a vampire in the snow," she laughed, putting her forehead against his. "I can feel the cold but it's so…nice" she shook as if she were cold, as Elijah brought them to the car, quickly laying her down I the backseat and she pulled him on top of her.

Everyone else besides Bonnie had left the Grill, so the parking lot was empty, not that it mattered. Even as breathless vampires, the second he closed the door, the windows began to fog. Elena, wearing a devilish grin, cupped his face in her hands, kissing him gingerly. "I love you." She breathed and he returned with a smile, tracing her jawline with the back of his hand.

"I'm just glad you are happy my love,"

"Well, you are the one who threw me in the back of your car." She laughed, kissing the base of his neck and Elijah took a long, deep breath, allowing her lips to travel up to behind his ear.

"Maybe I only wanted you to be dry" He joked running his fingers through her wet hair, "and I had to get you in here somehow before you started making snow angels and tracked even more snow into the car."

The young vampire laughed, pushing him lightly on the shoulder, "Thanks a lot…" she quickly turned him over so his back was on the seat, and curved back into his chest with a sigh. "I could do this forever."

Elijah smiled as he sat up, preparing to leave. "We should go, " he murmured, giving her a gentle nudge, but she didn't want to move., and when her eyes met his pleadingly, he didn't want to get up either, but he wanted to get her home.

"Everyone is going to be back at my house with Jeremy," she batted her eyes and grinned He knew what she meant; she always used Jeremy as an excuse for going back to his house instead. She would never just tell him what she wanted.

Bonnie watched from the bar windows as Elena danced happily in the snow. Since her friend had returned, she seemed so careless, so free and without any worries. In a way, it made the witch jealous. Her friend was able to live without any worries, leave town for a year under threat of a witches attack and return as if nothing happened while slipping into normal life. She hoped she wasn't the only one staying up at night, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"You look like you could use a drink."

Bonnie shot a glare to a dark haired woman sitting next to her.

"Is that your ex-boyfriend or something?"

_Someone sure is nosy…_The witch thought, "No." she shook her head, not hesitating to show her irritation. "She is my best friend."

"Interesting…I always thought it was taboo for witches to be associated with vampires?"

Bonnie's eyes bore into the stranger's silver greys in surprise, and a hint of anger.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The Bennett witch was becoming more impatient, not only was she not in the mood for company, but she knew she was a witch, and no encounter in Mystic Falls was a coincidence.

"Oh I apologize, I get so distracted and forget my manners when surrounded in an entire town of vampires, and the witch who is rumored to side with an Original." The woman belittled Bonnie as she waved on for another drink pointing out the window towards Elijah, who was taking Elena back to his car, "My name is Regan, and I am here looking for a friend of mine."

The woman's voice was smooth and confident, Bonnie could tell she was a witch but something was still off about her. Giving her new company a once over, she saw the woman's long and colorful skirt that fell to the ground with straps of silver drifting down like bells, and a black top that fell off of her shoulders.

"What are you, a gypsy or something?"

Regan laughed heartily as the bartender brought two drinks, one for Bonnie as well.

"No sister, and just a warning, many would find that title as an insult I will have you know." She replied swiftly, downing her drink. "I am simply a traveler."

"So…you are a witch?" She knew she felt the familiar touch of a witch's power but that wasn't something you just instantly called someone out on.

Regan paused while toying with her long curly black hair, "You have yet to introduce yourself."

"I'm Bonnie." She tried to smile warmly, but she couldn't. Something about this woman was off.

"Well Bonnie, why don't you tell me about the vampires in this cute little town?"

* * *

**This one is a bit shorter than normal, but the following chapter makes up for it, and the one after that and hopefully all of them following, but I am considering taking a short break from this story and One Hundred Years to clear my head as I have another story forming and too many at a time will probably fry my brain lol**

**Please review! I will be updating as soon as I am done outlining the next story (that won't be posted for a while anyway)  
**


	32. Double Faced Carnivore

_**I believe I promised a longer chapter, as opposed to the past shorter two, well...here you are!  
Right now, this story is somewhat fluffy, which is all fun and games, but as some may know, I like to put my characters through hell a couple of times but I think that makes the ending that much better ;) (what I am trying to say is there is a plot here lol)  
Also, I don't want anyone to get confused that I keep referring to these newer chapters as one, two three etc etc I found it easier than calling them chapters 31 and what not.  
Anyway, usual disclaimer applies, the chapter title/lyrics come from Romanticide by Nightwish (one of my favorite songs by them just some trivia for you) annnd enjoy and please don't forget to leave a little review :)  
**_

_**Chapter Three**_**  
Double-Faced Carnivore**

_The music is dead, the amen is said  
The kiss of faith is what I beg  
A loving heart 'n soul for sale_

* * *

_Elena's mother once told her stories of the lonely maiden who would wait for the man she loved, sitting at the edge of the beach. She would wear a long white gown, almost like a ghost at the water. This woman waited for centuries, and even when she died, her ghost still remained…ever waiting for the man she loved who was never to return._

_Elena felt that way the weekend Elijah left to take care of his business outside of the Galapagos._

_Each of the two nights she was alone, Elena would walk the beach, soaking in the moonlight as a human would take in the sun's rays. She missed him unconditionally, and was already longing for his return.  
The vampire, wearing a similar mid length white sundress that hugged her frame , put her feet in the warm blue ocean, allowing her bare toes to sink into the sand, her thoughts beginning to drift. The only time she had spent in the beach house, she was sleeping or washing the ocean water off of her body. It felt so strange to be there without him. _

_The first night had been the worst, Elena found herself constantly looking over her shoulder, hoping he would return. She had hardly slept that night, her mind plagued with acid dreams of all the wrong things that could happen and the next day she spent sitting on the rock formations at the other end of the beach writing in her black moleskin journal she picked up at the airport leaving Mystic Falls for their travels. _

_It was the third night when he was due to come back, but it was starting to get late._

_She sighed as she kneeled into the ocean, splashing the water over her skin and raking it through her hair. She could wash it all away, and decided that was the best way to go. All of her concerns for the Original had weighed heavily but she just needed to let them go. He was fine.  
It was midnight, so nobody else was around to see her lift her dress over her head, the edges already wet from the water, and toss it to the side where she left a towel to lay on and quickly removed her undergarments before edging deeper into the water. The ocean itself was a comforting entity, surrounding her skin, engulfing her pores as she willed it to consume her. The world was a beautiful place, Elena mused, once you looked past the rough exterior, and it was exhilarating. _

_Elena dove under the water, soaking her hair before returning back to the beach. A breeze covered her skin like a blanket and she quickly ran into the house, leaving her clothes and towel in the sand.  
She entered the beach home, not caring that she was naked, and went into the bathroom ready for a hot bath to wash the ocean water from her hair._

_Turning on the tub, the vampire dug out a bottle of lavender bubble bath and allowed the scent to soothe her as she poured the purple liquid into the basin half filled. Stepping in, Elena already felt relief while her muscles loosened and the bubbles floated up to her nose. Her thoughts began to wander again to her travels with Elijah, her memories of their first encounter; she also began to remember those…awkward moments after he chased her all the way to Denver in order to protect her from Klaus. All of the bittersweet thoughts that led them to where they were now, it was almost surreal. _

_Needlessly, Elena took a deep breath and went under the water to relish in the heat. There, she stayed-with no need to breathe- at the bottom of the claw-foot tub, placed in front of a large bay window overlooking the ocean. It must have been ten minutes before she opened her eyes, sensing a familiar presence sitting by the tub and she shot up to see Elijah sitting before her, a weak smile on his face._

"_Elijah!" She gasped, sitting up straighter, wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't care if she was soaking wet and covered in bubbles. "You are late." Her tone was stern, but a smile creaked over her lips as his eyes grazed over her body, she was just glad he was back._

"_I'm sorry love, things got a little difficult." He sounded exhausted as he gently placed her back into the tub. "You know I never would have wanted to stay away as long as I did."_

_Elena nodded as she already knew he was being truthful, "You sound beat. Maybe someone should take a bath." She requested-or demanded- and watched as he took off his suit jacket._

"_I may need just that." He cracked as he began to remove his clothes, ignoring the window, which he was in clear view of._

_Joining her in the bathtub, he pulled the brunette into his arms as he rested his head back. Elijah wasn't home necessarily, but wherever she was may as well have been.  
He asked her about her weekend, which there wasn't much to tell, and he told her about the new properties he was managing.  
Elena was listening only to the alleviating sound of his voice, not that she wasn't interested in what he had to say, but she missed him and not hearing him for three days only made her want to hang onto each word even more.  
When the Original became silent, she turned slightly to see he had fallen asleep, his formerly distressed expression now blissful and without wanting to disturb him, and also not wanting to leave his arms, Elena closed her eyes as well, falling deep into slumber with the moon shining brightly into the bathroom._

Elena opened her eyes to the sounds of birds chirping and a slight breeze moving the window panes banging against the Mikaelson Manor. She had been dreaming, to her own dismay, but the feelings of Elijah's powerful arms wrapped around her and holding her close reminded her that she was home, at least, close enough. She rolled over to mold against his body in hopes of getting just another five minutes, when the Original stirred awake, opening one eye curiously.

"No…close your eyes…" Elena groaned, putting a hand over his face.

Elijah chuckled to himself "All right Elena," he pulled her closer, resting his chin on her head, "What were you dreaming about?"  
Elena let out a sigh, remembering the dream all too well.

"The night you came back when we were in the Galapagos." She reminded him wistfully. She would do anything to go back to that moment, even if this time was just as perfect.

"Ah yes," Elijah thought back, "I believe I remember falling asleep in a bathtub of all places, with a wonderful woman in my arms." He brought her face up to his and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and Elena nearly melted into him.  
She shifted even closer to him and wrapped her arm tight around his waist, pulling the blanket up to her neck.

"Tell me Elena, " he took in the scent of her hair, vanilla this time, "how did I manage to find someone as beautiful as you?"

The younger vampire couldn't contain the smile on her face. She became giddy, and her heart, which still held a slight…slow beat skipped, pounding twice again as if making up for lost time. Every time he spoke to her she felt that way.

It was how love was supposed to make you feel.

"Well, anyone else would say by using cheesy romance-novel lines like that," she joked, "But my own theory is that after chasing the Petrova doppelganger's for your entire existence, your work has finally paid off." She quipped, poking him in the rib, "They do say third time is the charm right?"  
The brunette sat up, realizing she wasn't wearing any clothing, and pulled the blanket back up around her and Elijah pushed her back down again, taking a nip at her lip.

"On the subject of cheesy romance novel lines, I prefer to believe that I have been waiting for you all of these years, and in my own foolish impatience, I fell for the tricks of those who wore your face my love."

"So good with your words Elijah," she smiled, kissing his chest, "I guess you win."

* * *

The next morning, Bonnie woke up to a knock at her front door-stirring out of her queen sized comforter. The knocking continued, and the witch rolled out of her bed, cursing as she examined herself in the mirror, her bright pink Hello Kitty pajama pants and pink t-shirt wrinkled from her sleep. Whoever was bothering her this early in the morning was going to get the wicked witch of the west-bed headed and all. Trudging down the stairs, Bonnie practically fell to the door to swing it open. The light from the sun reflecting off of the snow-which must have picked up overnight as there was now almost a foot sticking to the ground- and once her vision cleared she was staring face to face with Regan, the strange witch (or whatever she was) dressed in a long black trench coat her jeans tucked into her combat boots. It was a more weather appropriate outfit than her what she had on the night before.

"Good morning sister." Bonnie's visitor greeted, "I am hoping I didn't wake you?" While tying her long black locks into a bun, Regan pushed passed the other witch as Bonnie watched in confusion.

"Uhm…what are you doing?" she grumbled as she wiped the dryness from her eyes and slumped her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. "You do realize it is only nine in the morning right?"  
Regan nodded as she considered her surroundings.

"I came to talk to you."

_No kidding_

"Care to tell me what about?" the coffee pot's hum was working as the perfect alarm clock; the thought of the caffeine being in her system soon perked her up.

"I lied to you Bonnie, well…sort of." She stated toying with a statue on the mantle.

"What do you mean?" her coffee was done, and she offered a cup to the other witch, who refused while rambling something about needing to cleanse her body.

"I lied about why I'm here and now I need your help." The woman seemed distant as she looked at the statues, but seemed as if she was bored and nothing could entertain her.

"It depends on what you lied about." Bonnie replied darkly. She had made acquaintances over drinks with this woman the night before, and recalled just how many drinks she had and the stories of the vampires that resided in Mystic Falls.  
She hadn't given names however, and now realizing what she had said, she was glad she didn't. Bonnie hadn't hidden her distaste for the 'nightwalkers' (as Regan called them) while she told her stories.

"I had told you I was a witch." She paused, picking up a picture of Bonnie and her father-a recent one from graduation- and putting it down with a fond smile. "That is not…entirely true."

"Then what are you? Entirely, I mean." The Bennett witch furrowed her brow, still half asleep and becoming impatient.

"I am a hunter." The woman spoke proudly as she turned back to the witch, placing her hand on her hip and Bonnie's stomach lurched. Telling the witch about the vampire's was one thing, but a trained hunter? She had just put her friends at risk. "Don't worry, I'm not here for your friends. I am here for my own."

She didn't understand. This woman had a magical aura surrounding her, yet she was a hunter? None of it made any sense.

"Okay, it is too early for this. You are a witch, I can feel it, and who are you looking for? There are no witches here, at least that I know of."

"I have certain…gifts from the witches, strength speed endurance, those that match a vampire's. The witch blood in me can sense a vampire a mile away." She responded, avoiding the girl's last question as she fixed her hair again.

"Who are you looking for?" Bonnie prided as her curiosity grew. She hobbled across the room and slumped into her leather couch, the coffee warming her body as she waitedfor the answer.

"I'm looking for an old friend," Regan replied mournfully. "His name is Alaric."

Bonnie gasped, her throat fighting back an acidic feeling. Alaric Saltzman was dead, killed as an act of vengeance the moment Klaus realized he needed to take Elena away from his "threatening" older brother.

"Do you know him?" the huntress inquired, stepping closer and Bonnie nodded gravely, averting her gaze to the ground.

"I am so sorry Regan," she whispered, her voice cracking as she remembered her dear friend. She wondered what he would have to say about Elena and Elijah's relationship, knowing he would not be pleased.

"What? What happened Bonnie?" the woman shot around, a look of worry passing over her eyes.

"Alaric died…about two years ago."

"What do you mean dead?" Regan snapped, balling her hands into fists, "How?"

Bonnie searched for the words to ease the stranger into the pain she had barely gotten over in two years, but nothing too reassuring came to mind.

"The Original hybrid killed him-a back-up in case the doppelganger did not abide to his plans. I am so sorry."  
Regan's lips curled in ferocity.

"Where is he?! I will tear him limb from limb!"

Bonnie was unsure of what more to tell her, she couldn't tell the hunter- who carried the powers of witches- that if the Original died, his entire bloodline would die with him. There was no need to add more fuel to the fire and put her friends in any more danger. She didn't know this woman, and she didn't trust her either, she didn't even say how she knew Alaric in the first place.

"I-I don't know." The witch lied, matching her gaze with her darkened eyes. She knew where Klaus Mikaelson was hidden, but she wasn't about to share that with a grieving vampire hunter.

In frustration, Regan began to pace back and forth, her arms taut to her side.

"Fine, then I guess I have a new goal on my visit." She decided, fire burning in her eyes. "I would like for you to take me to where he is buried, if you don't mind."

Slightly surprised, Bonnie nodded slowly, looking to her feet. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Most of Elena's morning was spent wrapped tight in a blanket, pulled close to Elijah's chest while he read a book in the bright light coming through the windows of his bedroom. The silence was comforting and she found herself basking in his warmth as he held her.  
She could have remained that way for hours, and had she not looked to the frost covered window, she would have. Squeezing out of his embrace , Elena wrapped the silk bathrobe that was draped over the end table around her body as Elijah's eyes passed over her skin, showing a downtrodden look as she stepped away from him and watched her as she opened the window curtains wider to see the full effect of the snowfall.

"Wow." She gasped, pulling her long brown hair aside, "There has to be a foot of snow out there!"

Elijah was behind her not even a moment later, resting his body against hers and his arms around her waist.

"I cannot tell you how long it's been since it has snowed." The young vampire placed her hand on the glass, jumping at the ice cold feeling.

"It sounds like something you want to take advantage of." The Original pointed out, "I can't imagine it being as bad as Alaska."

Elena smiled again, and fell into Elijah's arms closer, remembering their visit to the far northern state and passed the memories to him through her mind. They had spent most of their evenings hovering by the fireplace of the bed and breakfast they were staying in and during the day they would explore for a little while at a time. It was a brief stay, and an impulse visit on Elena's behalf.

"No, not as bad as Alaska, but just as beautiful," She paused and pulled her robe tighter while turning around to meet his eyes with her own, "I just remembered…I have a paper to write." Elena frowned, the thought had been plagued in the back of her mind for the entire night before and morning, but she couldn't let it slide past. It was her first paper of the semester, so she had to get a decent grade.

"All right," he agreed, planting a kiss on her temple. "First though, you get dressed and I will make breakfast, I am sure you would like something to eat?"  
Elena nodded quickly but pushed her lips against his, while pulling his body against hers once more for safe measure.

"I would enjoy that very much." She smiled into his lips, allowing her fangs to extend and pierce his skin to draw blood.  
Sharing blood, over the past year, in a way to allow Elena to build her tolerance and as they soon discovered, their bond as well, had nothing but positive outcomes and something they had begun to practice more often as time flew by. Now, they hardly needed to share thoughts, they just knew what the other was thinking, more on an empathic level than before. It was a much less invasive feeling, knowing how the other felt, their actions before they made a move. One would think it made things boring, never being surprised, but the couple had created a game out of it, teaching each other how to shut the other one out instead.

They created a foundation to their relationship that was much stronger than ever before.

"Not what I meant Elena." He sighed, placing her back lightly by her shoulders, "I was thinking waffles"  
The brunette huffed, pushing him away playfully and watched him as he slipped on a pair of sweatpants. When he went downstairs she went to the closet, which was carefully and strategically organized to fit the Original's needs. When Elena first began staying with him at times, he insisted on bringing some of her clothes just in case, but when she put away the few outfits she chose, she came back just now to find everything organized in a different manner. Elijah's obsessive compulsive tendencies were beginning to become slightly adorable as it became more obvious.

Quickly, Elena grabbed a blue lace camisole and black skinny jeans, got dressed and slipped on a pair of black flats. As she ran downstairs, she tied her hair in a side ponytail, enjoying the smell of apples and cinnamon emanating from the kitchen.

"Wow, that was fast!" she laughed, the dining room was set for two, one set of pancakes already on a serving plate-still steaming.

"Everything goes a lot easier when you work at top speed," he turned back to her and winked, motioning to the table, "Please sit. "

Elena did as she was directed, and Elijah poured her a glass of blood, reminding her that she needed to feed.

It wasn't long until they were both sitting at the table, eating the apple cinnamon waffles and having meaningless conversation (even though no conversation with Elijah was ever meaningless) and once they finished, the Original handed her the white pea coat she had brought and disappeared to get dressed.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he came down the stairs wearing a black suit. Elena always preferred when he wore the darker colors, they fit his complexion perfectly (not that he couldn't pull of anything he put on.)

"Whenever you are," she grasped his hand, pulling him out the door.

Elena got home with a promise from Elijah to do something for dinner, and trudged up the stairs while barefoot since her shoes were ruined in the snow. She passed a wave to Jeremy while passing his room and closed her own door behind her, preparing to hit the books.

_It was dark, and the moon was a crescent loop in the sky shining straight down to the grass. At first, Elena didn't recognize where she was until she turned behind her.  
A small cottage, placed in a fenced in yard, a cottage that she had been to once before. _

_Usually when Elena slept, she dreamt of memories, lately of her travels with Elijah.  
This time was different. This time she was in Klaus' 'hideout' home, where he had taken her to protect her from a dangerous Elijah who threatened to kill her._

_So they had led him to believe._

_Elena checked out her surroundings, angry and confused as to what she was doing there while walking to the back door. A fog light was on, so there was a chance that someone was home.  
The second she touched the handle, a familiar face grabbed her attention. _

"_Now, now love, it's rude to walk into someone's home uninvited." _

_Elena turned at the familiar drawl, the way his tongue twisted over the L in the word "love" and stared at the lion faced Klaus Mikaelson. The last time she saw him, he had tried to kill her for deceiving him._

"_Klaus." She rasped, it had been almost two years since he was desiccated, the fact that he was dream walking now-assuming that's what was happening- was far from a coincidence._

"_So nice to see that smiling face my lovely doppelganger." He smiled, walking closer. "Immortality is treating you well I hope?_

"_Better than being your blood donor."_

"_And my brother?" he queried. _

_Avoiding his question, Elena only nodded, frustrated, "What do you want Klaus?"_

"_I came to give you a fair warning of course."_

"_A fair warning?" Elena was beginning to hate this dream, when she would dream walk with Elijah, it was always so warm, bright and pleasant. Klaus made it miserable, dark and cold. She wanted it over with as even this dismal setting was beginning to blur around her like an out of focus picture. It was only her and the Original hybrid standing together now._

"_Yes Elena, a fair warning. I do hope you pay attention, because this is important."_

_The vampire was no fool, she could tell Klaus was forming a plan in his head, he couldn't be trusted. "Spit it out. I would like to wake up, I have a project I need to work on before I go and have a nice enjoyable dinner with __Elijah__."_

_Klaus was before her in a second, and Elena's mind flashed straight to the time he showed up at the Salvatores –looking for her- the day he told her that always and forever meant so much more to Elijah than she thought.  
That was when everything started, and all of this time she thought it was over, apparently she was wrong. _

"_You think you can trust him Elena," he laughed at his own words, finding amusement in her confusion. "I mean my brother of course."_

"_Which brother?" she wanted to strangle the answer out of him, but she wasn't expecting the response she got.  
Klaus let out another laugh and moved to touch the former doppelganger's face._

"_Your love, the honorable Elijah?" Elena pulled away from his contact with a low growl, but he continued, "__Elijah__ will turn on you."_

Elena shot up, her textbook flying across to hit the wall, and her eyes darting around the bedroom. The papers for her work were strewn all over the bed only halfway written on.  
She had been working on her term paper and must have dozed off. With a groan, her eyes moved to the clock and it was already six in the evening and Elijah would be picking her up soon as he promised.

Swiftly, she got up with the memory of her dream conversation with Klaus playing in her mind. She wasn't about to believe a word of it, but knowing that he could enter her dreams, and made it a point to do so when she wasn't near Elijah was nerve wracking .

This was not a feeling she wanted to have.

Going to her closet, Elena picked a long pink and grey striped sweater that stopped just above the knee with a pair of black leggings and this time, pink boots to match, it was cold out, and after dinner she wanted to take a walk.

There was a knock at the door shortly after she finished curling the tips of her hair. For a brief moment, she wondered if she should have straightened it out- in fear of reminding Elijah of Katherine- but chose otherwise, figuring (and knowing) they were past that.

_Unless this is why he turns on me._

Elena shook off the feeling as soon as she opened the door to Elijah, this time accompanied by a single rose.

"Good evening Elena." He smiled , handing the flower to her which she accepted with a smile, feeling as if everything was right in the world. "Did you get your paper done?"  
The brunette shook her head, allowing her curls to bounce around her shoulders, catching the Original's attention, but only for a moment.

"I ended up falling asleep." She looked to the ground ashamed, but he only smirked, wrapping his arm around her waist leading her through the archway.

"Are you all set then love?" he whispered into her ear, and she quickly nodded, following him to the car.

The couple arrived at the restaurant-the same one where Caroline threw her birthday party- just after seven, where they were instantly seated, as they had become almost regulars.  
They talked for a while over their drinks, but throughout the entire conversation Elena couldn't shake her dream walk with Klaus. She knew she should have known better, Tatia had tried to play games with her as well, telling Elena that Elijah was going to leave.  
Yet Tatia had been right, even though Elijah took her with him, he still left.

Snapped out of her thoughts by the smell of her chicken cutlet, the vampire cut her self-pitying trip and concern off. She knew Elijah, she was passed being in love with him as it was much more than that, so she trusted him. He would never turn on her, and she cursed the Original hybrid for planting the idea in her head.  
_No wonder Tatia "chose" him, they are one in the same._

She was glad that she and Elijah had learned to keep their minds separate, but she could even sense that he knew something was wrong.  
Elena finished eating, eager to leave the restaurant, and she wanted to go for a walk to enjoy the snow.

As they prepared to leave, Elena asked Elijah if he would accompany her on an adventure, which he agreed to, even though it was clear he didn't enjoy the snow.

"Oh stop , it will be fun!" she winked, pulling him out of the restaurant to see it had begun to flurry again. She smiled up at the sky, admiring the small white balls as they flew across like a blanket sticking to the nearest lamp post, which didn't need to be on as the white snow was luminescent enough.

The two made it back to Mystic Falls in due time, Elijah being careful on the roads since they were beginning to ice over.

"Is there a specific reason you wanted to come here?" The Original questioned as they pulled up to the entrance of the woods, killing the engine.

"The last time we were here, just the two of us…you wanted to show me something, " she smiled in a calculating way, "I mean…this time I figure I won't lock you in an underground tunnel with Damon or anything, but I thought it was my turn."  
Elijah raised an eyebrow as he offered his arm. The snow was beginning to stick to his coat already as the winds picked up and shielded his eyes from the pelting flurries as they headed into the forest.

"So…when I was younger, I used to come out here with Jeremy and we would play hide and go seek , usually starting right over there." Elena pointed to a set of trees by a small rock formation and taking a couple of more steps forward, the vampire allowed her feet to sink into the snow with a crunch.

"Are you sure that you don't have a tunnel waiting for me?" he joked, following close behind.

"Nope, just this!" she grabbed his hand running to the other side of the tree to where an evergreen bush-completely out of place- had grown.

"A tree huh?" the Original approached the evergreen as Elena moved the branches to the side.

"We were playing once…I must have been ten years old, when I found…this."

Behind the bushes was a small statue of an angel, covered in moss and even browning with age and Elena could see Elijah's reaction, he recognized it instantly.

"You found this…here?" his voice jumped in excitement as he reached out to touch it.

"Do you know what this is for?" she looked into his brown eyes, suddenly bright, reflecting off of their white surroundings. He nodded while kneeling into the snow, not caring that there was a foot's worth of it on the ground.

"I returned to Mystic Falls once, quite a long time ago, I left this as a way to…memorialize the occasion." His eyes dropped as he balled his fists into the cold. "I put it in the river so it could travel, just as my family was…"

Elena placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, in a way, glad she was able to share this with him, but she wasn't sure if he was welcoming the memory. "It must have washed up."

The Original agreed with a nod, lightly grazing her hand with his, and carefully, as if afraid it would shatter under his touch (a feeling Elena had become familiar with) lifted the statue out of the snow, to turn it around. Dusting the snow from the bottom, Elijah brushed away to reveal an inscription in a language Elena didn't understand.

"What does it say?" she inquired, running her fingers over the words as if trying to absorb the ancient knowledge, and failing. She loved the look in Elijah's eyes each time he became excited over something as he rarely showed emotion in his expressions. It was as if he was breaking the barrier with her piece by piece, the first part being able to share their thoughts and memories. (This part was actually a major player as to why the couple never went to extra lengths to find a way to break the Original bloodline bond, even though Elena was well aware that Bonnie was still trying as a way to kill Klaus once and for all, but the two of them, even though Elijah hated her life being tied to his, loved being able to share memories. It was their own private haven where no one could bother them.)

"It says…'May whoever finds this, finally be home-eternally'…I inscribed it myself."

Elijah couldn't believe that his statue was here the entire time and Elena being the one to find it was a sign if he had never seen one before.

"I just can't believe it's been here all of this time, and still in one piece." He murmured, talking more to himself than to Elena. He was in his own memories, which he shared with her so that she could understand what the day of his first return to Mystic Falls had been like.  
It was during one of the darker moments in his life when he feared he had lost everything he stood for, and it was something he did not necessarily want to remember-but this- the angel statue from over two hundred years ago, was one of the most sensitive things he had done, the memories of his family before they were turned had brought him back.

His mind continued to drift on, with each snowflake, reminding him that it was real. Elena held onto his hand as he reminisced, so he knew she was still there, when suddenly, she brought him back, her fingers entwining tighter around his. In his own daze, he had missed whatever she had heard.  
"Elena?" he tried to pull her back as she shot up to her feet. Before he could say another word, Elena was gone, disappearing into the white forest. "Elena!" he called to her, following her trail and froze for a second when he heard a loud crash, The Original could hear her calling his name, and in his confusion couldn't tell if it was in his mind, or out loud when he reached the river that ran through, only partially frozen over.

"Elena!" he called out again, searching the area, his concern only softening slightly when he saw her brown hair come out from under the water.  
Elijah was before her in a second, reaching to pull her out of the water when she handed him something wrapped tight in a purple blanket that was soaking wet.

"It-It's a baby Elijah. She was in the water!"

* * *

_**As always, please review :)  
Also, I don't usually write Bonnie so I hope I didn't slaughter her character too much (I avoid writing her since I fear I can never get her character correctly) **_

_**What did you guys think? Speculations? Concerns?  
**_


	33. When the Stars Fall

**Chapter title comes from the song Goodbye to You by Michelle Branch (I was having a lot of Buffy feelings I couldn't help it)  
I hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four  
When the Stars Fall**

Everything had happened so fast, one second they were staring-sharing- the memory of the angel, when Elena heard a cry, just barely as it could have been just the wind whistling. She had run without saying a word to Elijah, who was still in awe of her discovery from so many years ago, and found herself at the water where a small purple bundle floated. She hadn't taken the time to see if anyone was nearby, and as the screams had gotten louder, there was no need to think about her actions, it was a baby's cry, and being a vampire Elena knew she was fine in the frozen water but the child would not survive much longer so she dove in.  
When Elijah reached out to her for her hand, she didn't miss his look of confusion as she handed him the purple bundle, what reason could he have possibly thought that she would dive into ice water? Just for fun? She could tell-she could feel- that he wanted to help her, but when she got out of the water, using his free arm for leverage, she could tell something was off with him instantly. This was past confusion; there was a lingering sense of dread.  
"What do we do Elijah?" she asked instantly as she twisted the water out of her hair, turning to him for advice. He, however, seemed lost in thought, so she cleared her throat, and he shook his head quickly slipping his coat off to wrap the baby- a little girl- into it.

"We will take her home." He responded listlessly, not taking his eyes off of the infant who must have been only a month or two old. Elena could sense the Original's affliction, but she ignored it by passing the ease of his words of home to the baby who seemed to have calmed down in his arms, yet he seemed strangely nervous, bringing her to take the girl from him. She held the baby close to her body as they ran back to his car, Elena making a quick joke about the lack of car seat, but Elijah didn't laugh, smile or even joke back.  
Their evening which had started out as sweet and romantic had completely changed it's course in one foul sweep, but Elena wondered if this was a good sign or not. She was a vampire, and so young even if she had all of eternity, she was no parent. What was she supposed to do with a baby?  
_Why am I even thinking about keeping this baby? _She thought to herself, shaking her head as Elijah opened the door for her, the car already running, _She has to have a family somewhere…_

"Elijah, we need to find her parents." She finally spoke once they were in the car, it was already warm thankfully to the auto start. He only looked at her and walked over to sit in the driver's seat and nodded slowly, still not saying a word. In his silence, he drove back to the Gilbert home as Elena worried about the baby, hoping she was going to be all right, yet as odd as it seemed, the little girl seemed perfectly content.  
By the time they pulled up to Elena's home, the silence was deafening, and in such a serious situation as this, he had to have something to say, so she nudged him.  
"Elijah, have you heard ANYTHING I have said?"  
The Original's ears perked before he turned his attention back to her, and nodded as darkness shadowed his expression.  
"Of course I have, but let's get inside."

Upstairs in Elena's bedroom, Elijah sat on the window seat, his favorite go-to spot for when he was unsure of a situation (Elena believed that it was just in case he had to run, he could jump out the window, and she would tease him often for it) and watched with caution as Elena quickly changed the baby, making a diaper out of a large washcloth, an old trick she learned from her neighbors across the street, and cleared out her dresser drawer, lining it with a comforter and placed the small child into it, acting like a bassinet.

"I can't believe I am here, hiding a baby in my drawer…" she put her hand on her forehead, admiring the blonde little beauty , her cheeks rosy from crying, had softened as she drifted asleep now warm and cozy. The vampire wasn't about to ignore Elijah's continued lack of words, but when he stood, she finally felt relief as if the statue had just come to life.

"Elena…" he whispered, his voice confident, as he crossed the room, "That baby…she is not human."

The brunette faced him rapidly her hair swinging around her shoulders, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She turned back to the baby in an attempt to prove him wrong, but when she knelt down, she couldn't hear a heartbeat and she could smell something distinctly familiar on her skin. Like an animal, a dangerous predator, the smell repelled her.

"Elijah…" she started, stepping away in fear. In all of the commotion in the snow, Elena hadn't noticed it. She was too distracted, and now she was afraid. There was a fight occurring inside of her, her vampire instinct telling her this child was a threat to her livelihood, and those she cared about, while another part of her wanted to nurture-to love- the baby with all of her heart. She wanted to both mother the baby girl, and kill her. It was wrong, she was no murderer.

"Elena it's okay…" the Original calmed her instantly as he touched her hand lightly.

"What is she?" her voice choked in self-betrayal, the feeling of elation and grief still fighting internally. She didn't know what to do, what to think and she had to depend on him for guidance here.

"She is a hybrid child Elena, my guess is her mother died in child birth activating the wolf gene. I don't…however, understand how a vampire was born. "

"Elena, this is not some stray puppy! You can't just keep her!"  
Damon was the one most infuriated by the introduction of the baby girl the next morning after Elena called her friends.  
"Damon, I never said I was going to keep her." She made a point to say for now, the second time. She was careful by saying "I" over "we" as she didn't want to rope Elijah into the argument as it wasn't going to help her case, however, the way he sat idly to the side not saying a word, and separate from the group, wasn't helping her much either.  
She felt alone.

_Elijah will turn on you.  
_Had Klaus been right?

Elena sighed, turning her attention to the baby, that she had named Liliana until she found any family possible or figured out what she was going to do with her.

"Elena honey…you said this is a hybrid baby? It's not safe, she could be dangerous." Caroline looked concerned, even though her expression softened at the sounds of the baby's coos.

"She is just a baby Care!" Elena instantly defended, feeling betrayed by her friend. Caroline, out of all of her friends, should understand better than anyone the need to nurture a child. They were in the same boat, not being able to have children, but Caroline didn't have the threat of the doppelganger bloodline looming over her head, she had once had a chance before Katherine (who Elena would not deny she didn't miss since she had run off, yet again) took it away. "Besides, Tyler is a hybrid and he's not dangerous."

This mothering emotion Elena was beginning to feel was becoming overwhelming-stronger than before- with each passing threat against the child.

"Yeah but Tyler wasn't born a hybrid Elena." It was Stefan, who usually had her back when it came to her decisions, except this time. "He was human, this baby is not human and never has been."  
Briefly, Elena scanned the room, looking at Caroline, Damon, Bonnie and Stefan's expressions, and as she shifted her position, she looked to Elijah who was staring mindlessly out the front window leaning against the wall, not jumping to her defense either.  
Her stomach lurched, Klaus' words continuously playing in her mind, but it wasn't over yet.

"I don't know why you keep looking over to your boy toy. He's not going to defend you here." Damon pointed to Elijah, who was instantly on his toes, his eyes darkening at his own pending judgment. "He will kill the child the first chance he gets!"

The four vampires and witch turned their attention to the Original, then back to Elena, who's face was stricken with shock and disbelief. She looked to him for his self-defense and he straightened himself before speaking.

"A child born of a werewolf bloodline, somehow as a vampire, is extremely dangerous. Her own mother died in childbirth, and I can only assume from complications, there is no telling what could happen." Elena and Elijah both agreed that most likely was how the werewolf gene became activated as she was being born, it was the only thing that made sense. She hated the fact that Elijah was so careful with his words, picking and choosing the phrase that would perfectly avoid answering to what he was just accused of.

"Elijah…" Elena sighed, and puffed air from her nose as if dispelling the scent of betrayal . She couldn't do this around her friends, she was fighting (still) for their relationship, this would not bode well.

_Are you serious? _She questioned, glaring at him in the process, but he said nothing. He didn't take his words back, he didn't apologize, even as meaningless as it would be…he said nothing.

_Elijah!_

"Looks like he proves my point Elena." Damon didn't seem happy to be hurting Elena, but his smug expression said all that she needed to hear.  
If even Elijah wouldn't be on her side, and even possibly killing and innocent child, then she was truly by herself.

"I am not saying that I am about to call myself mom you guys." She backtracked, "I am going to try and find her family.

Bonnie sighed, making the first sound since she arrived shortly after the others and Elena's chest tightened as she waited for the final ball to drop, and her friend's eyes glazed over in thought, stuck on the vampire, not shifting. "I may have a friend who can help."  
The group looked to the witch In confusion.

"And who would that be?" Stefan questioned, he had grown to trust Bonnie, but other witches were a different story, but she only shook him off.

'It's not important, I will bring her by. She works for the council so she can help."  
Elena never knew much about any "council" as this was all foreign to her, but from the sound of it, they were a group of witches who probably made decisions or took care of larger matters. She wondered where they were when they hybrids attempted to take over Mystic Falls, but it didn't matter.

With that said, the group parted ways (partially to Elena's request) and with Liliana fast asleep, it left Elena alone with a dangerously quiet Elijah. She brought the baby upstairs where she could sleep peacefully and when she came back downstairs, Elijah was still there, (not that she assumed he would have left) stiff as a statue his only movement being to where he sat on the arm of the couch. It wasn't until she stepped down from the last stair, that his eyes shifted, pulling his attention to her.  
"Elena I…"  
"No." the brunette put her hand up to stop him, stepping closer. The feeling of hurt and betrayal was showing on her face, even as she tried to cut herself off from him emotionally-she felt like she was being torn at the seams, and not in the more physically enjoyable way. "Elijah, let me ask you something, are you implying that you believe it is morally all right to kill a child?"  
These were questions she needed answers to now or never as if this was the case…he was not a man she could be with after all.

Elijah's eyes widened, the already deep brown fading darker with worry. "No Elena, of course not. I am just not so sure I am prepared to be comfortable with you near her, her near you, rather."  
Elena settled her footing in frustration and found herself taking a deep breath.

"Allow? You know I will do as I please Elijah…" she spat, placing her hand on the railing-a way to control her anger.

"Oh I know that, trust me I do. You will do anything to protect that baby, a quality I value most about you, but I don't think you understand…" he began to explain, but Elena did not want to hear another word.

"What is there to understand?" she practically cried out, catching her voice to avoid waking the baby.  
"I think it's pretty cut and dry. Killing a baby is wrong. There is no other way around it!"

Elijah was on his feet in a flash, his usual calm disposition breaking like a crack in a windshield. She had gotten under his skin after two years of clawing at the surface. It was a shame that it had to happen now.

"That is not what I meant, but it doesn't mean she is any safer, and when you have grown up around my brother who was born human, yet tainted and controlled by the hybrid in him you would understand where I come from. I cannot begin to fathom what would happen to a young girl having to cope with that for her entire childhood. That is just too cruel Elena. I just wish you could see it."

The younger vampire stepped back-crushed by his lack of empathy (or possibly too much empathy) - her knuckles white from gripping the banister so tightly. She feared she had lost the Elijah she had come to know and unknowingly traded him for the one she first met, the Elijah who was not shy to compel information from her, the one who beheaded Trevor in one move while his lover watched in agony. Instead, she straightened herself and stepped forward again.

"Just for once Elijah," her voice was constricting in provocation, "I want you to stop thinking so logically. Not only do you push it into my mind, but you make me doubt my own intentions! I know you feel, just as I have learned that you are not heartless. You are just so conflicted. Just once react with your heart instead of your brain."  
The Original gave her an obscure look as if he understood what she was saying, but the words themselves didn't seem to register.

"Do you really think I can do that? Do you believe that this is easy for me?" he seemed truly agonized by her words and he turned his face away from her, with his jaw taut. Elena, unsure of what he was doing, followed his irritation by crossing his arms, her defensive nature coming through.

Tatia had been right when she told her Elijah would leave, did that mean that Klaus was right in saying Elijah would turn on her?

"I don't know what you are thinking Elijah…" for once, that was the truth, Elena had cut the Original out of her mind, just as they had been practicing over the past year, and by doing so she kept out of his.

The Original shook his head, and she wondered if he felt as empty as she did without his presence, but doubted it. He loved his own solace, always has.

"Where is all of this coming from?" he was challenging her now and it relieved the younger vampire to know that even without sharing minds, he could still read her, as having a relationship based solely on the mind connection formed from the bond had always frightened her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are attacking me as if I am doing this to fight only you, when I am trying to protect you."

Elena let out a scowl, hating his "honor" more than anything, he may be willing to allow Elena to make her own decisions and do things for herself, but he was truly concerned for her safety in this situation. "I don't need you to protect me. I thought you of all people knew that…"

Elijah shook his head again, waving his hand as he turned away from her. "You act as if I want to see the woman I love get herself harmed, because if you die…I die too even if it is supposed to be the other way around, and you are avoiding my question."

She wanted to scream at him, tell him that this had nothing to do with her, and it was all him. She wanted to cry out and shake him but she didn't keep the truth inside.

"Your brother." She hissed sharply, hoping her words would cut him deep enough to leave a scar. "Your brother told me that you would betray me."

The Original's expression changed from anger to confusion, and Elena realized that she wasn't being specific enough. "Klaus."  
To her surprise, Elijah seemed relieved when she said the name of his hybrid brother, but then he looked concerned, realizing that for all intents and purposes, Klaus Mikaelson was dead.

"So my brother…" he paused, hoping Elena would finish her explanation.

"He dream walked. He warned me not to trust you." The words burnt like acid as she said them, the ridiculous way it made no sense. She didn't want to believe Elijah's brother's words after all that he has done, Klaus was far from a reliable source after all.

"So…Nicklaus tells you not to trust me…so you just go along with it? Without saying anything about it to me? " Elijah laughed now, which hurt Elena, something she had been struggling with since the "visit" was just tossed to the ground like it meant nothing.

"That is not fair Elijah. You know that."

The oldest Mikaelson brother was usually very reserved, struggling not to show his feelings, but this time was different, and he was before her, without giving her the chance to back away pressing her body against the wall, and where anger should have shown in his expression, instead it was only sadness and disappointment.

"Fair? Elena what's fair is you not listening to my brother, who is dead mind you, and did you forget that he tried to kill us all?"

Of course she hadn't forgotten, that was how her and Elijah had ended up together in the first place. "I'm sorry Elijah…" she tried to reach for his cheek, as his body was still against hers, but he moved away.

"Sorry? Elena, do you realize you have done this before? Tatia tells you I am going to leave you behind, and you believe her, and Nicklaus tells you that I will betray you and you jump on that wagon as well? What is next Elena? Who else will manipulate your emotions?"

Elena sighed, looking at the ground. He was beginning to frighten her (a feeling that she should never have) his anger showing a different side, a side of passionate fury as his eyes bore into hers.

"Are you saying that you don't trust me?" she tried to keep her eyes forward as she looked upwards, standing strong against the powerful presence before her, but she found her resolve weakening while her eyes burned from the tears.  
Everything about them had always been about trust.

"No Elena, of course not. I am simply saying that you shouldn't trust so easily." The words should have comforted her, but the lingering issue of Liliana's well-being hung between them like a dark cloud. Naturally Elena wanted to trust Elijah over anyone, and had it been about anything else, she would have. This was a child's life they were talking about. She believed that he wouldn't kill her as an infant, but she couldn't be so sure that at his first chance while she aged, if the girl did anything out of turn, that would be it. Even the morality Elijah was known for would not stop him when it came to protecting her. He really hated the hybrids and everything they brought forward, it was amazing he managed to get along with Tyler.  
It was something she could understand, and hate at the same time. She wasn't sure if she could trust him not to over react (even if he was always calm and collected, she didn't like the fact that he was implying she was dangerous. Could she have been the one overreacting? She wasn't sure.)

"Elijah, usually I trust your word, I trust your intentions but for some reason I can't this time." She couldn't believe she was saying it. She wanted to cry out that she was lying, and she was in her own way, but her anger was clouding her judgment.

She turned away, tears streaking her face as she realized what she was doing. It was as if they were shrouded in darkness, nothing more than a swirl of emotions, from their passionate love turning (and only fueling) to frustration and anger. They were at an impasse, deadlocked without any escape from their feelings.  
Elena could feel her chest caving in, being consumed by her overwhelming emotions. She didn't know what to think, or what to do.

"Well Elena, I am disappointed that you feel that way, but I am not sure I know what to say."  
Elijah was at a loss for words, and when he had nothing to say, the conversation was over.

"What do you want from me?" he grasped her shoulders and pressed his forehead against hers, "Just say the words Elena, and whatever it is…it is yours."  
Elena could have told him that she wanted him to leave the baby alone, but deep down she knew two things. Elijah would never harm the baby, even as she grew up, and that he only cared for her. They weren't arguing over sleeping Liliana, they were arguing on a more underlying issue.  
Klaus, and Elena's fear of losing Elijah, and his fear of losing her.

Taking a note from the Elijah Mikaelson handbook, the younger vampire straightened herself, placing a cold hand on his cheek, Elena was broken, conflicted and struggling to figure out what she needed right now. She needed to think. Maybe Elijah was right, maybe she was too easily manipulated, her emotions taking over at the wrong times or maybe the struggles of their past have finally surfaced after so long.  
She just needed to think.

"I need you to leave," she choked, knowing she was cutting out all of her emotions, all of her feelings for him. She had no choice, she needed to step away and think, tend to the baby and once that was taken care of she would step forward again.

The Original stepped back, watching her with loving, yet hateful eyes.

"Is that really what you want?" he searched her expression for any sign of deceit, but found none as she replied.

"Yes Elijah."  
She wanted to cry out that it wasn't true, of course she didn't want him to leave, but she felt as if she had no choice. This way she would never have to doubt him again, in her own embarrassment, and knowing her feelings towards him, she needed to breathe. Even if this was a mistake, pushing Elijah away would only risk losing him forever.

As if sealing the deal, he placed a light kiss on her forehead, allowing his lips to linger as his fingers entwined in the back of her hair, she moved her hand to touch his elbow but before she could, he disappeared out the door, leaving a broken Elena to cry as she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.

* * *

**So this chapter was another one that was going to be extra long so I cut it off. Not the best way to end this chapter, but better than nothing I guess. All of these issues will be resolved soon enough, I just have a bad habit of putting my characters through hell at least once, and everything has to lead somewhere so don't worry too much ;)  
As always, I love to hear feedback so please leave a review! **


	34. Break Me Down

**This is the second part continuing from the last chapter which is why it is a little bit shorter than the rest.  
Just a side note (I love side notes) I know the last chapter ended with our favorite couple in a really...depressing situation, and while it may seem cruel to write it out like this I sort of had to. There will be a lot of things going on and while this chapter and probably the next will be a bit more on the "angsty" side as opposed to my usual, that won't last long and I think (and hope!) that it will be worth it in the end since I find that sometimes you have to knock people down a few pegs to bring them closer...and I think that will be what happens. So try not to worry! Everything works out in the end ;)  
**

**The lyrics/chapter title is from the song "Far From Home" by Five Finger Death Punch (seriously as amazing song) Clearly I don't own the band or anything in that area.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Five  
Break Me Down**

_**Another day in this carnival of souls  
Another night settles in as quickly as it goes  
The memories of shadows, ink on the page  
And I can't seem to find my way home  
**_

Elena woke up the next morning wrapped tight in a blanket in her bedroom, the sunlight beaming through the curtains. When her eyes fluttered open, she saw Jeremy sitting next to her on the mattress, moving the hair from her face.

"Morning sleepy head." He teased, handing her a bag of blood. "How are you feeling?"

The vampire took the blood from her brother with a delicate smile and sat up, remembering the events from the night before. All of this time, she had hoped it was a dream. "Wait…where is Liliana?" she grumbled after a long pause, not wanting to forget about the baby girl, and she wasn't sure how her brother would feel about giving her blood so naturally she began to worry.

"She's fine, Caroline came over this morning with a car seat and all sorts of baby stuff and took her." Elena didn't notice how tense her little brother was until she finished the blood when he relaxed. From the side of her bed on the floor, he picked up a fuzzy blue bathrobe and handed it to her, "She's coming back later with Bonnie and her witch friend who whatever."

Elena nodded in a slow comprehension, she was still in such a daze as she began to recall the night before. Jeremy had come home only about a half hour as she told (demanded) Elijah to leave, to a hysterical Elena lying hunched on the floor. She remembered so long ago when Stefan had told her that a vampire's emotions were heightened, she remembered Elijah telling her the same thing. Now she knew they meant it. Jeremy had carried her up the stairs to her bedroom, putting her in the bed as she told him over a hot cup of tea how she royally screwed things up with Elijah.

"You didn't tell Caroline about what happened did you?" she sniffed, she wasn't even sure what happened between her and the Original, had they parted ways permanently? (The word break up just sounded so…juvenile and nothing with the oldest vampire in existence was as such.) Was this just some stupid fight that they would forget about, and hopefully, laugh about years from now? Where do they stand now? The way he had asked _"Is this was you really want?"_ Sounded so permanent, so real.

"No, but she knew something was up since he wasn't here. You can't hide it forever, especially from Caroline." Jeremy replied, brushing his own hair back like it was a nuisance. "If she didn't have Lili with her, she probably would have gone over there."  
Elena couldn't help but smirk, imagining Caroline giving the stoic Elijah a piece of her mind. Right now her friend was probably spoiling the baby to death and dragging a poor defenseless Tyler along for the ride since like herself, they would be childless forever.

"So…" Jeremy broke the brief moment of silence, "Are you ready to talk about what had happened?" Her brother usually paid no mind to her relationships, especially when she was between the two Salvatores. He must have taken a liking to the oldest Mikaelson.

"Basically, I fed into Klaus' lies…" she remarked sadly, "He was angry with me and I was angry with him about the baby…we blew up. I don't know how it all spun out of control, but I was so mad I just told him to leave." Elijah's expression, covered in disappointment as he stared into her eyes haunted Elena, giving her the chills.

"Maybe you should call him." It was such an obvious response that Elena, still in her daze hadn't even thought of it.  
She shrugged and grabbed for her phone, "I guess you're right." She sighed going through her contacts only to pass the time. She knew Elijah's number by heart and nodded to Jeremy as he patted her on the leg before he got up to leave Elena to stare at the name on her phone.  
Elijah.

Taking a deep breath, she hit the green button to call and allowed the phone to ring four times, an when it went to his automatic voicemail (the irritating voice that tells you the number in which you called in not available) she hung up. It was possible he was out, or sleeping…or doing just about anything, as long as it wasn't avoiding her. She considered calling again to leave a message, but wasn't sure what to say.

_Just wing it Elena. _She told herself as she hit the redial button, allowing the phone to ring once again. She hoped he would answer, just for the sake of hearing his voice as she apologized profusely, but he didn't pick up. Elena cursed again at the voice telling her he wasn't available (as if she didn't know) and to leave a message at the tone. That was the hard part, and Elena began to choke on her words, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

"Hey…Elijah…" she tried to stop the ball from forming in her throat, as if she was physically capable of choking as a vampire, "I just wanted to talk, if you cold…call me back when you get this." She choked again, trying her hardest not to cry. "I'm, I'm sorry about last night, you were right."

She hung up on the brink of tears. Her irrational fear of losing the Original playing in the tune of his reaction to Liliana may have torn them apart. Of course she was angry with him, but she was more devastated by her own actions then anything.  
Klaus and Tatia had won, they sunk their claws in and slowly let their poison to sink in. She couldn't blame Elijah for not answering the phone, she could only imagine how betrayed he felt. She believed Klaus, even if it was for only a moment, she let it drive her, influence her reactions.

More tears began to form at the rim of her eyes. Anger, defeat of her own self-loathing and resentment towards Elijah for not fighting for her. His gentleman ways of never pushing her to do something she may not want (in this case fight with him) made him taking his leave all too simple.

He could have fought for her, begged for her to understand, instead he did as she asked.

"Damn you!" she cried out, tossing her cell phone against the wall, shattering it to pieces.

"Elena!? Are you all right?" Caroline, her usual bubbly self, swung Elena's bedroom door open but instead of a smile on her face, she seemed worried. In all of her groveling, she hadn't even heard her friend come into the house, and of course, in a house with vampires you never got any privacy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The brunette tried to laugh it off as she began to play with her hair, a nervous tick she picked up as a child. "Just lost it for a minute I guess."

The blonde vampire's eyes darkened in disbelief. She could always tell when her friend was lying, and this time was no different but she didn't say anything to disagree and instead approached her, stepping around the pieces of plastic on the floor.

"This is about Elijah isn't it?" she questioned, and frowned when she saw Elena's expression drop. "I had a feeling…" the vampire shook her friend off, not wanting to discuss her inner personal drama.

"It's nothing Care." She looked at the time, it was half past twelve already. "Is Lili asleep?"

Her friend nodded with a brimming smile, "Yeah, she loves her sleep." She beamed, "Why don't you get dressed. Bonnie and Regan are here." Elena looked down to see she was still wearing her clothes from the night before. "Oh and Damon and Stefan will be here soon too."

Caroline left Elena to choose an outfit for herself and to her thoughts. She wasn't quite ready to face the Salvatores, knowing Caroline was sure to open her mouth about her and Elijah, and the brothers (mostly Damon) would feed on that.  
With a sigh, Elena ran her fingers through her hair while looking through her closet, much less organized than Elijah's, to grab a pair of jeans and a purple sweater before running downstairs once she was dressed.

* * *

Once Elena arrived in the living room, her eyes caught sight of the strange looking woman, who must have been Regan. She was definitely a witch, but Elena couldn't help but feel something odd about her. She wasn't like Bonnie whose powers were forged from the elements themselves, but a different kind of force. Maybe she was a different kind of witch.  
Introductions were made as Damon and Stefan arrived soon after, both eyeing the witch with caution.

"Hey 'Lena" Damon put his arm around the young vampire's shoulder, pulling her in for an embrace, "Where's your…other half? Not our killing babies I hope?"

Elena shrugged weakly as she looked across to Caroline, who had made a motion with her hands to Damon, telling him to be quiet.

"Oh no, trouble in paradise? How unfortunate for my favorite Original." The raven haired vampire dragged out the word favorite like it left dirt on his tongue, but Elena wasn't paying attention to the Salvatore. She saw how from across the room, Regan was watching the baby sleep until Damon began speaking about Elijah.

"Original huh? As in a Mikaelson?" she perked up, looking directly to Elena who refused to answer.

"Yeah...Elijah is seeing Elena," Stefan spoke up, and shortly after she heard Damon cough the word _was_.  
Regan's bright eyes opened wide, as if a final puzzle piece fit in with the rest.

"Ah…yes the Petrova doppelganger." She crooned, moving closer to her, "How intriguing of you to nab yourself a Mikaelson, the family that has hunted your ancestors for centuries." She looked too happy to be pushing Elena's buttons. "How is Katherine Pierce doing by the way?"

Elena stepped back, knowing very well that Katherine was on the run…most likely forever once she discovered Elena kept Elijah in her company. The moment she discovered they would return to Mystic Falls she left again. Her instinct was on high alert to push this woman back, but Bonnie cleared her throat, bringing their attention back to the baby.

"Right witchy…can you get back to what you have for us?" Damon questioned, and the woman nodded, her long black curls bouncing around her shoulders with each movement as she sat down on the sofa. Bonnie, even to this day, was never really comfortable being in a room full of vampires, so seeing this woman act so casual around them made Elena uneasy-as if maybe she was much stronger than she let on.

"The child is dangerous." She stated, her voice firm and monotone as if reading from a book, "In fact…unheard of. I spoke to my sisters, who at first were ready to hold back the werewolf…but there is only one thing…"

"You need a sacrifice." Elena's mind began to swirl in resignation, each memory, each living moment of her human life, coming together reminding her of what she used to be (or still was).  
Regan nodded gravely, "So you see our dilemma. Another risk of a doppelganger bloodline will do nobody any good."

"So what will you do?" Stefan had been absently staring at Elena for most of the conversation and for what purpose she wasn't sure, but by his softened expression she knew it wasn't out of contempt.

"We will have to take the child." The dark haired woman shrugged it off as if she was reporting the weather, not feeling the sinking plunge through Elena's heart.

Of course, the vampire knew she wasn't going to be playing mom, but it being put in front of her as it was, reminded her harshly. "What will you do with her?"

"We- and by we, I mean the other witches, will place her in a home with other sisters. I have already taken a small sample of her blood to see if we can track any relatives, but she will have to be constantly in company with a witch. She will be safe, and for the most part, raised as a normal girl." She locked Elena's eyes for a moment, as if preparing to deliver the final blow, "Liliana will be able to live a normal life."

Caroline glanced to her friend, giving a smile. This was what Elena wanted, this was what she fought for.  
"How do we know we can trust you?" Damon tried to approach it this carefully, not trusting the witch and possibly being the only logical one at the moment.

"You don't." Regan stood again to face him, only inches away. Her unfaltering gaze made her seem mountains taller than the Salvatore and a sense of a power struggle seemed to spark between them. Damon was never a big fan of being challenged. "But you see…we have no reason to kill a child."

Elena nodded in agreement, finally having someone on the same page. "When?" she wondered aloud, her voice soft and question flickering in her eyes.

"Possibly two days, maybe less…maybe more." She shrugged and the rest of the group nodded in silence as Regan stepped back from Damon to slide past, moving towards Elena. "I would like to speak with you in private, if you don't mind."

Cautiously, Elena nodded and passed a glance to Bonnie, who was grabbing her bag, pushing the other three vampires out the door. It usually took a lot for the Bennett witch to trust anyone, so Elena felt slightly more at ease around the newcomer. Even though her own mind was telling her to be careful, a witch should not be trusted; she ignored it knowing that everyday Bonnie felt the same way.

Following her friends and closing the door quietly, Elena heard Liliana shift in the bassinet that Caroline had bought, but Jeremy (who was surprisingly wonderful with her) was at her side in a second-cuddling the baby in his arms and taking her upstairs.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" the brunette turned back to her company with a fake smile.

"Do you know who I am?" her voice drawled, and Elena could feel her attempt to sound threatening crawl over her skin like a parasite. It was like this stranger was in her home, trying to prove herself as if she was the alpha female in a pack of proverbial (ironically speaking) wolves.

"No, you are Regan and you seem to keep pretty slim to the details." She replied through her teeth, refusing to back down from a challenge. All she knew was what Bonnie told her, she was a friend with connections to the witch's council.

"I'm a witch, but a different kind. I am a vampire hunter, given the gifts of the witches." Elena's features darkened at the information Bonnie coincidentally left out (assuming she knew). "But don't worry. I came here to find my friend. I'm not some Buffy wannabe trying to clean up your town. I just heard that you were close with him."

Elena crossed her arms, getting tired of this cryptic conversation, "Okay, what's your point." She began to feel like she was having a conversation with Elijah.

"Alaric Saltzman." The woman's eyes dropped towards her feet as Elena's stomach filled with butterflies.

_Let's just open up another wound, shall we?_

* * *

**Slowly but surely we will be learning more about Regan and her intentions when it comes to Alaric. Anyway, don't let this temporary separation be discouraging :)**

**Reviews are always appreciated!  
**


	35. Separate My Dreams

**Chapter title/Song lyrics from Duncan Sheik's song Foreshadowing which I think is pretty relevant to this chapter ;)  
I hope you all enjoy this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Separate My Dreams****  
**_**But more and more I hear it  
I feel the spirit rise  
The people here are talking 'bout  
The oneness of all life  
Maybe I will turn away  
Maybe you will run  
But it just may be a foreshadowing of what's to come  
**_

* * *

Elena nearly vomited at the sound of her late mentor's name. She was never able to get over his death (and she struggled to keep those feelings inward) and having this stranger in her home asking about him was concerning and unexpected.

"Alaric is dead." She glared into the witch's eyes, while tears lined her own. She had enough stress for the day, and she wanted nothing more than to rip this woman's neck apart, her self-control nearly faltering. "Yet I have a feeling you know that already…"

Between Elijah leaving the way he did, and the discovery of Liliana, the thought of Alaric was too much to bare at the moment. She was cracking down at the center.

"I simply wanted to express my condolences."  
_Condolences?_ Elena didn't know this woman from a hole in the wall and she was apologizing for her loss?

"If this is why you singled me out, it was pointless. We all lost a great man, you should express those feelings to everyone else…" Elena had to choke back slightly as Regan stood tall in front of her (even though she was truly rather short).

"I was just aware of how important he was to you…"

"He was like a father to me…after my own passed away…" replied Elena softly, still trying to push all of the thoughts away. She wanted Regan gone. The vampire didn't feel comfortable being near a hunter that she didn't know, or even care to know,and clearly had witch powers. On top of everything, here she was, asking about Alaric. There was nothing more irritating than that and Elena did not feel like talking about her late friend at all.

"I went to his grave." The witch said gently through her eyelashes, and Elena could feel her skin burn. Who was she to visit his grave? Naturally Elena was aware Alaric had a life before Mystic Falls (being married to her mother being a part of it) but was she wrong to believe she could have him all to herself? She didn't think so.

"I think you should leave now." The brunette spat, showing the woman her back as she quickly opened the door for her unwanted visitor. "Please."

Still struggling, Elena had to use every ounce of self-control she had learned over time to not break the huntress to pieces. At the moment, she had more important things to worry about and cleaning witch guts off of her floor was not on the list.

Regan nodded as she slid past her warily with uneven steps, Elena could see she was nervous and in a way it pleased her. The huntress had every reason to be uncomfortable around an upset and emotional vampire.  
Once she left she heard Bonnie and Caroline's car start. Finally…she could be alone.

Elena spent the rest of her day cleaning, and soothing Liliana who still seemed to enjoy her sleep more than the pretend-mother's company. In the beginning, she enjoyed the peacefulness of being alone, but she couldn't prevent the feeling that she still missed Elijah. The effects of their argument had finally taken its toll on her and while she knew she shouldn't have been bothered by his lack of presence, knowing how she left things off with him only made it that much worse. She was in the wrong, but stubbornness was one of her weak points and she wasn't ready to talk to him just yet, he had left too easily. He didn't fight her, and she needed that fight.  
Her phone was still in pieces upstairs anyway, but her house phone was not looking so tempting. Maybe she was just being spiteful. He hadn't answered her twice after all and of course she couldn't help but ask herself whyhe wasn't answering the phone or what he was doing.

That evening, as early as was acceptable for a human to go to sleep (in her case as soon as it was dark), she went to go to bed. Jeremy was out for the night with Matt and Tyler, so it was just her and Liliana in the house but the baby girl was fast asleep early enough so the sun was just setting as Elena curled under her own covers, holding a pillow close to her chest.  
She wouldn't cry, not now.

Overnight, Elena dreamed of simple things, memories in hopes of a dream visit from Elijah as he would do at times when they were apart, and dreading the chances of another Klaus visit only to torment her more.  
He never came however, and each time she woke throughout the night she became increasingly concerned, wondering if he was all right.

The next morning, Elena had one class which she went through in a daze. Bonnie had Lili since the witches would be arriving later on that day, but she wasn't even worried about the child, or the visit. The hybrid baby at this moment was problem number two on her list as she couldn't shake the distraught expression when she told Elijah to leave her home. It was possibly the worst thing she had done in a long while but she needed to let it go for now.  
She knew, after all, that the Original vampire was a modest man, but he had a lower layer of arrogance and pride. Elena was convinced she scratched the surface. Of course the thought that she may have upset him was painful enough but she wasn't sure there was anything she could do about it.

"Hey Elena!"

Elena turned sharply to see Caroline running across the campus, waving her arms like a fool as she tried to catch up while maintaining human speed. The brunette smiled to her friend, her own feet weighed down from lack of motivation, and continued to walk across the large quad towards the parking lot.

"Hey wait!" she yelled when she caught up, "Where are you rushing off to?" the blonde questioned once Elena stopped in her tracks, her voice pitched in anticipation "Are you going to Elijah's?"

Elena's lips tightened in at the question. She had still heard nothing from him, but then again her cell phone was still in pieces in the garbage at home and she was still ignoring the fact that the house phone was ready for use at any moment. "No." she replied sullenly, "I'm kind of hoping he'll be at my house when I get home."  
Elena had no shame in admitting these feelings to Caroline, the blatant hope that he would forget about everything that happened during their last interaction and they could just carry on still held strong, but her friend only made a strange sound from her throat as they reached the parking lot, ready to part ways when a blue Hyundai pulled up in front of them.

"Elena! Caroline!" came the voice, and Elena instantly groaned. Regan of course. "I'm glad I caught you!"  
Elena turned to her friend, who she saw roll her eyes vivaciously as she pulled on her pink winter coat. There were times that the vampires would forget to wear the proper attire for the weather as it rarely bothered them the way it did to humans.

"What's up?" she questioned and the hunter let out a slight huff as she rolled her eyes in return with a smile.

"I actually needed to talk to Elena alone if you don't mind…"  
Caroline clearly did mind, but a thought seemed to distract her from a comeback, as if she had somewhere else to be. "Elena, will you be all right?" she tried to assess her friend's situation and mood before continuing, "I just remembered, I need to take care of something."  
The other vampire nodded, not taking her eyes off of the car in front of her and sighed listlessly. Regan seemed to enjoy keeping her to herself and it was beginning to become more frustrating, and now she was a mere thirty feet away from freedom, yet still she was trapped.

"As long as she makes it quick."

Caroline nodded, her mind clearly elsewhere and ran off to her car on the opposite end of the parking lot, leaving Elena to stare off at her back.

"So." She turned back to the woman who was still in her car peering out her open driver's side window, "What did you want to talk about?" The words, _That hasn't been said already _remained on her tongue. She toyed with her hair slightly before leaning against the light post and crossing her arms over her chest.  
Regan turned off her engine, completely disregarding the "No Parking" sign and got out to sit on the hood of her car, ignoring the obvious chill of the metal. The two stood at an impasse as the vampire examined her ensemble, a long violet overcoat with black leggings and knee high boots lined with faux fur. Her nose, tipped at a point, was cherry red from the cold air as were her ears. Elena missed the cold weather as a human, so she couldn't deny being somewhat jealous of the exotic woman in front of her.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday." Up until now, Elena hadn't noticed the light French accent in her voice as she spoke her "y's". "In my years of training, we are taught not to mourn those who pass, it was unfair for me to expect the same from a vampire…with heightened emotions."  
The woman's hair was tied tight and pin straight falling down the center of her back, somehow even in her relaxed pose, she still looked threatening, even to Elena.

"It's fine." Elena grumbled in disbelief, as if the hunter hadn't already opened the wound, now by bringing it up again she was pouring salt all over it and with the mischievous grin that she wore, clearly this was all a game, a test of her opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

"I mean it." Regan stepped closer now, her eyes soft with apology, but Elena didn't buy it, she didn't buy anything this woman was tossing at her. "Alaric was a friend of mine as well; I hope we can see past our differences." She outstretched her hand in friendship, a smile spread on her lips, but Elena was not amused.

"I still don't believe you even knew him. Ric never mentioned other hunters, let alone one he was friends with, so why don't you tell me the real reason you are in Mystic Falls?"

Regan's smile turned swiftly to a frown as she took her hand away, moving it to her hips. "I did know him, but that is not important." She replied, shivering as a cold breeze blew through the parking lot. "And I am here because I wanted to see this town for myself." She tried to sound reassuring, but Elena didn't believe her, however, if she was being genuine, at least she was making the attempt to help her with the baby. It was one step in the right direction.

"Why would you want to come see Mystic Falls?" she questioned, confusion shadowing her judgment and somewhere between a level of doubt and reassurance, she knew it couldn't have been good news.  
The woman looked around, making sure they were out of earshot from any of the other naive residents of Mystic Falls and continued.

"Well, I heard this story…among the channels of witches, about a year ago a powerful group of spells were cast, but in return those witches were discovered to be dead."  
Elena turned her attention entirely on the woman now, struggling to keep her expression complacent as she paid attention to each detail of the woman.  
There was no way she could know about the spell, if she knew about the spell…that would mean Regan knew about Tatia, or worse...Klaus.

"You're here for Klaus aren't you?" she hadn't meant to sound as challenging as she did, but she didn't like the idea of someone coming after the Original Hybrid, which meant coming after her friends as well.

"I was only here for research so no worries Elena. I'm with the council remember? I am on your side here." She paused while looking at the ground, a sad look coming over her face, "Those witches were…" then she smiled, her past expression changing devilishly as she put her hand out as if she were holding a small ball, "bad apples I guess you could say. Not all witches are evil you know, look at your friend Bonnie for example!"

Regan admitting this only made Elena feel slightly more relaxed. After past events, she felt that she couldn't trust any witch, besides Bonnie of course. Bonnie was one of her best friends, and Bonnie trusted this woman so she had to give her the benefit of the doubt.  
Elena looked up to the sky to see bright fluffy clouds forming above her, each one changing into a different shape as they traveled along the blue abyss. She wanted to escape from this conversation and get as far away from Regan as possible.

It was apparent that she couldn't though; they were going to take the baby and put her in a proper home, giving her all the more reason to stick around.

"I would like to go home now if you don't mind." As if Elena's less than subtle hints had not been enough to get the huntress away, she just wouldn't get the implication.  
The witch searched her eyes for any sign of resentment, as if she would strike at any look in deceit.

"Very well Elena." She sang, turning her back the vampire (a daring move for someone raised as a vampire hunter) "By the way, do send a hello to Elijah for me." Regan turned her head partially to give her a corner smile, "I know how close you two are."

As the huntress climbed into her car, Elena's heart dropped. She still heard nothing from Elijah, at least that she knew of but she knew why she was asking.

"I'll be sure to pass that message along." She responded through her teeth, her eyes burning red from anger at the mention of the Original's name. She watched as the hunter drove away and in a flash of negative thinking, the vampire wanted to snap her neck, just to see if these "vampire abilities" her magic turned into gave her immortality as well (she couldn't prevent that every single time this woman was in her presence she had the worst violent thoughts after all.). She had enough of this stranger and dreaded the thought of turning little Liliana over to her, and the only reason she would do it was because of Bonnie and her trust in the Council.

With one final exasperated sigh, Elena went to her car, her destination first the Bennett household where hopefully the witches would be waiting. She needed to rip this Band-Aid off as quickly as possible, not that she was able to be a mother to the baby girl, but that didn't mean she was in a rush to see her go.

As a vampire, it was relatively easy to sense one witch nearby, their power would tingle over their skin, just light enough as pins and needles over the hairs on Elena's arms. When she approached the front door to the Bennett home however, her skin started to burn as if someone was taking a lighter to her arms and freezing them directly after.  
The council had arrived, and she was early.

"Elena!" Bonnie's smile was warm as she opened her front door, "You're here early."

The brunette nodded, pulling her hair out of the tie she grabbed from her glove compartment. Her original plan was to go home in hopes of Elijah being there, but when she drove by and didn't see his car, and not looking for more disappointment by going inside, she chose to head on to Bonnie's instead.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, pulling her friend into a tight hug. Bonnie was always the best at making her feel better when it came to her "boy" problems, so she hoped they would be able to talk after they dealt with the witches, even though she knew how her witch friend felt about the Original family, even if she had admitted to being "surprised" by Kol but she hoped they could look past this all. "I just need to stay out of the house for a bit." She intended on spending the night at her friend's house, so they had plenty of time to catch up anyway.  
Bonnie stepped to the side to allow her vampire friend inside. As usual, her father wasn't home, as he never was since he worked a lot in his office while Elena believed he was seeing someone without telling his daughter. Whatever it was, it worked perfectly in Bonnie's favor, since he believed Gram's was a nutcase for practicing magic and would only ban it in his household if he had any clue.

Bonnie led Elena into the living room, and with each step, she could feel the power surging through.  
She was told that Elijah's Original family blood had made her more powerful than most younger vampires (so he had warned her when he gave her his blood directly, but she was only able to test that theory once and with two Original's by her side so it wasn't comparable.) so she wondered if it had made her more sensitive to the magic of witches.

If she spoke to him anytime soon (which she hoped to no end would happen in the near future) she would have to ask, because this feeling was becoming irritating.

"Ah you must be Elena." The vampire entered the room to see two older women, one with paling red hair and bright blue eyes, which was holding Liliana, and the other with grey hair up in a tight, prestigious looking bun while a young man stood against the wall behind them.

"This is the doppelganger? Very…interesting." The young man piped up, standing to take her hand. "I can see why vampires are always trying to tear you apart."  
She pulled her hand away quickly, and Elena smiled, but looked to Bonnie for some kind of backup.

"Uh, yeah that's Liam…try and ignore him." She apologized, "This," she pointed to the woman holding Liliana, "is Emma and her sister…" she pointed to the greying witch who looked nothing short of bitter, "Tessa. Liam is their nephew." She made quick introductions while Emma cooed to the baby, rocking her back and forth.

"So Elena, do you care to tell us how you came across this infant?" Tessa questioned, her voice sharp and gravelly as she crossed her legs, her back straight as she sat on Bonnie's couch.  
Elena opened her mouth to speak, but was rapidly cut off by the young man.

"Oh don't mind my aunt, we were already told what happened but she just wants to hear it from you." Liam explained, his blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail and he wore a green dress shirt and black jeans, "It is intriguing though I will admit."

Elena stepped back as he approached once again before Bonnie pushed herself in between the two of them.

"Yes Tessa, she was with Elijah when they found the baby in the water." She cut off, glaring at the blonde warlock, and gave an emphasis on the Original's name, as if giving warning to him that the vampire he was attempting to proposition was spoken for.

The elder witch nodded with pursed lips and looked to her sister and cleared her throat.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I happen to love babies. I will say that a hybrid child is quite interesting." Emma swayed back and forth as she spoke to Elena, "I am hoping we will be able to contain her wolf side. I am sure we can find something."

"What will you do if you can't?" Elena questioned, not liking her unsure tone, "What if you can't contain her wolf side?"

The two elderly witches exchanged glances while the red haired woman motioned for Tessa to explain; "Being a hybrid should prevent any serious issues with the transformation, we shouldn't have a problem keeping her out of trouble but truthfully, only time will tell."  
Elena nodded, as nervous as she was, and approached the baby while Emma held her close.

"Just…be careful with her all right?" the vampire requested stroking the child's cheek as she suckled on her finger

"Well yeah, anything is better than her being with you." Liam laughed "Regan told me that your boyfriend threatened to kill an innocent child. How…honorable of him."

The blonde, almost Viking looking, warlock barely got the chance to let out a laugh before Elena, in a blur of speed, had him pinned to the floor, her fangs baring, out for blood.

"That is not what happened." She snarled into his face as she cut off his air supply (witches needed to breathe after all) but a sudden, agonizing pain hit her head sharp like a knife in the back of her scalp halting anymore threatening advances. She released him, as Bonnie ran to her friend, and the pain subsided instantly.

"Maybe I was wrong," Liam mused, brushing himself off as he stood, while Elena, as livid as she was, stayed on the opposite side, against the wall. "It seems like you are the loose cannon. It's a shame, you have so much potential. Someone should have trained you better."

"Liam!" Emma exclaimed, "You just insulted a Mikaelson in front of a Petrova, what more do you expect!?" It was an attempt at Elena's defense, yet once again it came back to her lineage, something she was already tired of. It wasn't because she was a Petrova that she defended Elijah, it was because she loved him, it didn't boil down to who her ancestors were. "Why don't you go load the car? We will be out in just a moment."

Liam's eyes narrowed as he mumbled an apology to Elena while he pushed passed, grabbing a bag of Liliana's things that Elena had given to Bonnie earlier, and went out the door allowing the vampire to calm down.

"You will have to excuse my nephew, he tends to talk more than he should." Tessa-surprising Elena- apologized as she stood. The woman looked absolutely ghostly as the bottom of her grey gown fell to the floor. "Elena, Bonnie it was a pleasure. I will let you know if anything happens."  
The vampire and the witch gave another wave to Emma as the two women walked past them smiling.

"Thank you again." Called Bonnie as she shut the door.

Elijah had called Elena several times after he got her message. Of course he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to explain his actions (or lack thereof) and why he was so hurt-upset may be the better word. She had to understand that he would protect her forever if he could, regardless of her needing it even less now. He knew he should have answered the phone, but he was spending…quality time with his dearest brother Klaus unbeknownst to the Salvatore brothers after begging Bonnie to wake him up (and making her swear not to tell Elena about, which she was not happy about and made no promises) so he could kill him himself. He did this on purpose and he knew it just as Tatia had done once before.

He would make him pay, however he couldn't just blame his brother. His reaction to the hybrid child had been harsher than necessary. He should have told her the truth, he would never kill a harmless child. He wouldn't do that to her and he would have done everything he could have to ensure stability.  
Instead, Elijah fell silent when it mattered most, with Damon being the spear heading the attack. It was in his own moment of self-doubt that he had no words. After all, how far would he go to protect the woman that he loved? Would he really go against her will to kill a child at the thought of danger? No, but that didn't matter now. It was clear Elena didn't want to talk to him and he feared pestering her would only put him in a similar boat to the Salvatores.  
He was torn.  
_Tomorrow_, he promised himself with a slight hint of grievance. Tomorrow morning would be when he would talk to her, whether she liked it or not.

A constant pounding at the front door jolted the Original's thoughts, his hopes were high that it was Elena, but he knew it wasn't her. Elena wouldn't go pounding on his door, she would have waltzed right in no matter how angry she was, but it was to his surprise when he opened it to see Caroline standing before him.

"Elijah." The usually bubbly and perky blonde was generally lighter towards him, happier to see him with Elena than her other friends, but today she looked livid and ready to burst.

"Caroline…what an unsuspecting surprise."  
The vampire shoved past, and swung around, her locks falling over her shoulder as she removed her pink coat, making herself right at home.

"Unsuspecting? That is what you have to say? 'Oh, hi, hello, I just left your best friend a complete wreck! Oh but no worries because my intentions were honorable.' "Caroline snapped, waving her arms around like a mad woman as she raised her voice in frustration.  
The Original stepped back, making sure there was proper distance between them, and only smiled coyly.

"It's nice to see you as well Caroline."

Pushing air out of her nose, she crossed her arms and shifted on her feet shaking her head, "Don't you play nice with me Elijah." She sneered, "You really hurt Elena." Elijah, with nothing much to say, turned his back to the blonde and moved towards the kitchen. "So, what? Are you just going to ignore me now?" she chased after him, "You can't be serious!"

Caroline almost ran into the Original's suit as he stopped short in his tracks to face her, surprising the blonde as she expected him to continue forward.

"No Caroline, I am simply getting a cup of tea. I would offer you some but you seem to have had enough caffeine for the day…"

"Not funny Elijah, you need to talk to her. She won't say it, you know how stubborn she is, but she is hurt. " Elijah was beginning to hate the fact that Elena's friend (as understandable as it was) was pushing all of the blame on him, even though it took two to tango, and as usual Elena had hidden her "dream" conversation with Klaus but that was irrelevant. He didn't want her to hurt.

"I understand Caroline, I do not intend on not speaking to her. My plan was to give her until tomorrow morning; I know you three are having a girl's night after all…" Bonnie had made it a point to tell him about their plans for the evening after the witches picked up Liliana, and Caroline seemed surprised by his knowledge, showing Elijah that Bonnie…so far…had kept her word.  
Naturally, he didn't want her friend to think he didn't want to see Elena, the time apart in this fashion was hell enough, and with Caroline in front of him defending her friend was not making it easier.

"How did you know about that?" she raised an eyebrow in question and confusion.

"I may have received a visit from Stefan earlier today" he lied, pushing the word "may", not wanting to put Bonnie in an awkward position, "I was told about Regan and the baby…" there was a question that had been looming over him since Caroline appeared at his door, and he finally had the chance to ask now that the other vampire seemed to have calmed down. "Other than being livid with me, how is Elena?"

Usually, it was out of Elijah's character to talk about his problems, personal or not, with anyone else. He found it rude to dump his emotions on others, but Caroline was incredibly persistent.

"Livid isn't the word Elijah…I would use…" she murmured, now looking away, but a low buzz snapped her attention up, Elijah's phone going off in the far corner of the dining room and he looked to her, apprehensive.

"It's not Elena. She is probably with Bonnie and the council by now."

Quickly, Elijah rushed to get the phone and looked down to the caller I.D,  
_Alma._

Had it been any other time, he would have answered the phone as he was always there for her when she needed anything and even though it was once in a blue moon she ever needed his help or needed to talk t him, he had to take care of Elena first and foremost.

"So, will you talk to Elena?" Caroline inquired again, and Elijah (to his own surprise) hadn't heard her come up behind him.  
He turned back to her to nod "yes", but the phone buzzed again. Alma had left a voicemail, something she never did and out of curiosity, he placed a hand up to signal for the blonde to give him a moment as he played the message back.

"_E-Elijah…It's Alma. Someone is…someone is here." _The witch was in hysterics on the other end, her voice choking, _"They asked me if I knew you…I…the house is protected, the one outside of Richmond, but….I need help please!"_

There was a bang on the other end, and a click as Alma ended the call.

"That was Alma?" Caroline asked, a look of concern in her eyes, and Elijah nodded slowly, precariously considering his options as he tapped his index finger without thought over his cell phone.

"I-I'm sorry Caroline," he stumbled for once, unsure of what to do. "I need to take care of something." The words spilled out of his mouth before he even made a decision as to his next step but he had to help Alma and he had to get there quick.

"Alma is in danger?" she questioned, stepping closer and he realized that she hadn't caught the entire conversation.

"It seems that way." Sometimes vampires avoided making implications f what they overheard, and apparently Caroline was not that way.

"Do you need help?" he was taken aback by her offer, but of course had to refuse, if he was able to take Caroline with him, he would very well go and scoop up Elena instead.

"No thank you, I apologize for putting you in this position Caroline, but would you do me the favor of telling Elena where I am going?" he saw the blonde bite her lip, even if she understood, even she knew Elena would only be more hurt by the news. "I would call her, but she doesn't seem to want to answer for me."

"Her phone is broken," she quickly explained, "she hasn't had time to get a new one yet, but I guess I will." She gave him a forlorn look as if she was unsure if she could trust him or not but nodded regardless, "Just hurry back, and I hope it's worth it."

He followed Caroline to the door, grabbing his own car keys and jacket, seeing the red sports car parked behind him as she ran to her driver's side door.

"And the second you get back you better make damn sure you talk to her!"

Both vampires got into their own cars, and Elijah watched Caroline as she pulled out of the Mikaelson family's long driveway and started his own engine before banging on his steering wheel. Silently, he cursed Alma for needing him at this moment, and while it may have sounded ungrateful, he knew what was at stake, but on the other side he knew very well she would never call him if it wasn't important so he couldn't deny her.  
He was going to help his friend (one of the very few he had left) and then talk to Elena.

_Tomorrow._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter we will finally have our Elijah/Elena reunion sorry to keep you guys waiting for it but I hope this chapter will hold you over until then :)_  
_**

**Please be kind and review 3  
**


	36. Ghosts of You

**Just a minor forewarning, I only did a quick read through so please excuse any grammar mistakes if I missed any :)  
This chapter was a bit rougher to write than I expected (but much easier than another one from another fic I posted recently) so I hope you all enjoy :)  
This chapter has some rated M content.  
****  
**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**  
**Ghosts of You**

_You're gone, gone, gone away  
I watched you disappear  
All that's left is a ghost of you  
Now we're torn torn, torn apart, there's nothing we can do_

The afternoon rolled by with a staggering stillness. The meeting with Emma, Liam and Tessa hadn't put Elena at ease, and Liam seemed to enjoy pushing her buttons and to her own affliction, she let him, showing her weakness.

"Don't let Liam get to you Elena." Bonnie had tried to reassure her friend as she went through the DVD cabinet by the television. "He could be a lot worse, trust me."

The vampire scoffed, pulling a quilt over her body and grabbing the bowl of popcorn off the coffee table. "What? Do you know him?" she was getting impatient as the warlock had put her in a worse mood than she already had been.

"Nope." Bonnie replied quickly, "I'm just going by the twenty minutes before you showed up. He's a pompous bastard."

The witch was always a tricky one. Elena's friend had a habit of staying back in the shadows, but she was incredibly observant when it mattered most.

The sound of a car pulling up brought back Elena's attention to the outside, and it was a nice distraction from the conversation about Liam and his…irritating tendencies.  
Caroline, her usually jubilant self was in the house within a second, a bag of clothes swung over her shoulder and a bottle of vodka in her hand. This time she seemed off.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." She sighed, crossing to the other side of the room. "I had to make an extra stop."

"Where? To Tyler's?" the witch teased holding up The Notebook with a shrug. It wasn't Elena's first choice (she wasn't in the romantic kind of mood-give her anything with blood guts or drama and she was golden.).

"No, actually." Replied the blonde with a bit of reservation as she held a concerned gaze on Elena, "Oh!" she jumped slightly before going into her bag, "I have Underworld!"

Hopping to her feet, Elena ran to Caroline to grab the movie from her hands, silently thanking her friend for getting her away from anything sappy. She needed this girl's night, it couldn't be said enough that since returning from her travels she had been unintentionally distant but now she could fix that.

"So Care, where did you go?" Elena prodded, after passing the preferred DVD to Bonnie so she could set it up.  
Caroline, however, was holding back. She always said things she shouldn't, which had gotten her into a handful of trouble in the past, and Elena assumed that this was one of those moments.

"Uhm…" the blonde's eyes darted around the room nervously, picking words from her brain to form a sentence, but the threatening glare from Bonnie edged her forward. "I was with Elijah…"

The witch let out an unintentional gasp, looking to Elena for her reaction but the brunette remained frozen while waiting patiently for her friend to go on and explain what she was doing while her inner thoughts were in turmoil.

"What were you doing with Elijah?" she finally questioned softly, holding her deadpanned expression.

Caroline blinked defensively like she wasn't ready to spill but sighed, turning entirely to the other vampire in the room. "I went to talk to him about you-" she started to say, and put her hand up when Elena opened her mouth to speak, "Hold on Elena." She cleared her throat, Caroline was always able to take control of a room, it was one of her strongest qualities, but her friends were growing anxious. "I went to find out when you two were going to fix this."

At first-and only for a moment- Elena was upset. This fight was between her and Elijah, so that made it their business, but yet she wasn't surprised by Caroline's actions. It was typical of her.

This was the Caroline Forbes way.

"And what did he say?" she murmured, looking to the ground. Elijah wasn't here now, so she wasn't sure if she was getting any good news from her friend.

"Elena…" she started reluctantly, "He was going to see you after today but…something came up."

She was right, Caroline had been holding back, holding back the fear of the look she would receive from her friend, the look of contorted desertion. With it, however, Elena's concern only grew, after all, what could he have to take care of?

"What came up?" Bonnie asked, for a moment, she was like a bear defending her cub. She never trusted anyone in the Mikaelson family, and hardly had a reason to, and she did not like seeing her friend hurt by one.

"Alma." Caroline replied quickly, shrugging as if to make the situation seem lighter than it was. "She called him right before I left, she sounded like she was In trouble."

_Is she __trying__ to sound reassuring? _Elena thought, clearly irritated. "Did he see all right?" Elena couldn't help but ask instead, she hadn't spoken to him in what felt like ages, even though asking was like yanking a dagger from her heart while leaving her to bleed out on the floor.

"He seemed perfectly normal to me." The blonde piped up, "But 'normal' Elijah to me, may mean something else to you…" She smiled to her friend, who was shifting awkwardly on her feet and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "He does…miss you Elena, but whatever happened to Alma seemed serious. His whole mood changed and he got really fidgety. "

Once again, Elena found herself ripped in two. A part of her was glad he missed her and had an intention of talking to her, but there was this other piece of her that was growing since Caroline dropped the news about him leaving, that was festering.

Jealousy.

Elena Gilbert was jealous of the puny little blonde witch that talked too much. Was that the vampire side's overload of emotions?  
Sometimes these surges made her feel like she barely knew herself anymore.

"Alma?" she finally choked out the name, the thought weighing on her like a boulder rolling down the hill, catching speed. Shaking the feeling away, she knew she had no reason to be upset or jealous. After all, Bonnie had told her of his relationship with the witch.

"I don't know, he said he was going to see you when he gets back."

A moment of relief, clouded by the darker side –instinct she called it- took over, but was soon dissipated at the sound of the movie starting.

Tonight was girl's night, so that meant her…and her friends with a bottle of vodka. No vampire drama, no relationship drama, just her, Carolie and Bonnie, three college girls with a bowl of popcorn and a movie.  
This was what life should be like.

* * *

In the reflection of his eyes, there was only fire. The orange and red flames formed smoke into the sky like a chimney. The beams were burning from the house, so bright that they illuminated the night sky with the sparks like speckles of shining art traveling up with it's clouded guardian to the clouds.  
A pyre for a friend, this was not supposed to happen.

_The drive to Richmond felt longer than it should have, but Elijah was not minding the speed limit. This was exceptionally simple on the long winding dark interstate which was empty by dark. The trees flew past him, along with gas stations and towns, and along with his drowning thoughts._

_Alma was in danger-he wasn't sure of what- and Elena was upset, usually the Original did everything possible not to get involved in the tedious (usually dramatic) affairs of others, keeping to himself (and even his family at times, not knowing the faces of the Original family proved to be advantageous at best.).  
He preferred the shadows though, he enjoyed keeping to himself but at this moment Alma needed his help, and if it weren't for her Elena would be dead._

_He knew where the witch was. "The house in Richmond" she was referring to was an old colonial that Elijah had purchased with the intention of having just in case he needed to hide out fast, but when the need never came up (having the house closer to Mystic Falls was more convenient) he gave Alma the key in case of an emergency.  
He had no idea she went there when she fled Mystic Falls._

_ Elijah, after another hour of driving, the sun had fallen and the moon was shining bright down on the suburban street, cars lining the sidewalks to their respective houses. A streetlamp flickered in the distance but besides those, everything else seemed undisturbed-peaceful even.  
That is, until he stepped out of the car. A rush hit the vampire, nearly choking him, a pressure building over his skin.  
Magic. To most vampires, it was like a lethal injection draining their essence dry when a witch wasn't connected to it, struggling to create life, after all there had to be a balance. Over the course of one thousand years however, Elijah grew a tolerance and from what he had seen from Elena, she had as well in a much shorter time period._

_He walked carefully up the cobblestone path to the run down home. He had formed no memories there, having only spent one night to furnish the place. It seemed so dreary and he couldn't help but notice the dark feel, a stereotypical hide out for an ancient vampire it seemed, which may have had something to do with why he never stayed there. Elijah hated attracting attention until he was prepared for any backlash.  
But he was not prepared for this. _

_When he reached the door, he placed his hand lightly on the glass to the screen door, it practically crumbling under his fingertips. The magic was much more powerful inside, but other than that feeling, Elijah heard nothing inside. There was no movement, no sound of a struggle but most important no heart pounding and there was the overpowering scent of blood._

"_Alma?!" he called, toying with the doorknob to break open the door (as quietly as possible) and stepped inside to quickly put up his guard. The home, from what he could recall, was never in perfect shape, Elijah remembered it being dark and dusty with the smell of mothballs and old , but now it was torn to shreds. _

_Across the room, the kitchen table laid upside down, a leg broken off but nowhere to be found, while glass cracked under his feet as he walked through, following the scent of blood. He should have rushed, found the source of the blood faster, but even he had to tread carefully, take in the atmosphere until he was sure there was no threat._

"_Alma?" he called again, to no one._

_A squish under his feet took place of the cracking of the glass. _

_Blood, which explained why the scent was so strong and his concern only grew. In a state of near panic (barely anything shook the Original, but he knew that something was wrong.) Elijah rushed into the den, following the trail of magic soaked carnage like a tornado's path towards the bathroom.  
Alma was a significantly powerful witch, she would be all right he tried to convince himself as he stood before the door, a small pool of blood had formed on the outside coming from under the crack-a sight that didn't bother him as much as it would have anyone else._

_Quickly, he opened the door, having to fight not to cry out. In the corner of the large bathroom, the witch's body lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, lifeless. Blood trailed down the wall to her head where Elijah could clearly see her skull had been bashed in, the tile behind her cracked from being thrown against for what looked like being multiple times.  
He kneeled before her, his eyes darting over her body, grabbing the girl's face in lost hope. Her blonde hair was rusted with dried blood. He knew she was dead, there was no beat in her chest, or air in her lungs but he didn't want to give up on her. He bit into his wrist to draw blood, hopelessly considering his options, but knew it was no use and gave in to allow the wound to heal._

_There was nothing he could do, Alma would have laughed at him for his efforts since everything was always such a joke to her, but her stricken eyes, clouded over without life were staring up at him, blaming him for not helping her. _

Elijah sat at the fire until it went out so he could gather his friend's ashes. He spent those hours in silence-now miles from civilization in a field, and toyed with the diamond bracelet he removed from her wrist before the burning.

"A keepsake?" the piping voice he knew all too well, as it came out of nowhere before, was startling.

"You are dead and I do not see ghosts." Elijah said quietly under the sound of the crackling fire, "Go haunt the Gilbert boy. I hear he sees to the other side."

"I am not a ghost Elijah." She giggled, and fro the corner of his eye, he could see her reach for his hand, but hers went right through his own, leaving the taste of magic behind. She was pulling from the elements, a left over essence from the magic she had left around her.

"I'm so sorry Alma…"

"Don't be." She bubbled, pointing to the bracelet, "Do me a favor and give that to Bonnie okay? It will come in handy one day I think, it didn't help me but that was my own fault…" she laughed heartily, as if it didn't matter , "I put up a hell of fight. It took three of them to take e down. You would be proud."  
The Original smiled, and looked to the witch who seemed like her normal cheery self rather than the bloody mess he removed from the home, even if she was a glistening ambience slowly dissipating as the sun rose.

"Who did this to you?" he questioned lightly, knowing her magic was fading with time. "Tell me Alma, please."

The aura looked to him and continued to smile cheerfully, "I'm not sure." She shrugged. "Three witches, but that's not important. You need to get back to that doppelganger of yours, she is probably worried." Elijah couldn't help but smile, but cringed inwardly at the image of Elena's irritated expression.

"Why didn't the bracelet work for you?" he questioned, still mindlessly playing with it, "What does it do?"

"It takes the life from you when you die…and it works just fine Elijah…"  
He looked up to her, seeing that she was fading faster, the sun was rising up now and as the rays came down on his own disheveled appearance, he saw them beaming through her. "I just wanted to see you first and used up the magic…"

In shock and disapproval, the Original moved to argue, but when the words formed on his lips she was gone. Alma had faded out into the elements, a slow blend into the earth, where the witch rightfully belonged.

A new kind of solace surrounded him with her disappearance.  
Elijah never cared for anyone before. It was always just his family, always and forever. Then Elena came in, wedged herself right into his life. He was supposed to use the doppelganger (same as he was supposed to use Alma as well) as a tool and now he was mourning one death while longing to return to the other…

What happened to him?

* * *

_The afghan blanket-hideous orange in color- scratched Elena's skin as she pulled it tighter around her body, the fire freshly burning before her as she was curled on the hardwood floor. She looked up and smiled to Elijah who joined her with two mugs under the blanket soon after.  
The younger vampire was still adjusting to her vampire senses and the smell of chocolate and chamomile tea swept through her nose._

"_For you," he passed her the blue mug with the word 'Alaska' on it over the silhouette of a caribou. It was standard in the hotel where they stayed.  
A cup of hot chocolate, something the Original had not quite mastered the art of making (he was more prone to making coffee or tea) but from the smell of it, he had gotten it right._

"_Thank you." She grinned before taking a sip and putting the blanket over him as well, curling against his chest to stare directly into the crackling flames. "Did it stop snowing yet?"_

_She felt Elijah shake his head to her disappointment. Elena had been waiting to leave Alaska since they arrived and each second she kicked herself for begging Elijah to go, but now the planes were grounded due to a massive snowstorm so they were trapped in the hotel.  
They still managed to find ways to keep occupied though. _

"_The hotel manager says that we should be able to leave by tomorrow night." He pulled her closer while taking a sip of his tea, confusing the younger vampire's senses with the herbal scent mixing with her chocolate. _

"_That's good news." She replied, planting a simple kiss on his cheek, "But this is nice also… Thanks for putting up with me."  
Elena was surprised that the two had not killed each other yet being holed up in a room for two days straight, but it seemed impossible to fight with him. They each had their own interests to keep themselves occupied. _

_The fire was beginning to snap and crackle as the flames grew, and she watched the shadows of them flicker on the neutral colored wall._

"_It's not necessary," he returned casually, "It's a different scenery from the last so it's not bad."_

_That was Elijah's underlying-deceptive- way of saying he would have preferred anywhere else on the planet, but he was too polite to say so. She took the words at face value though, enjoying the moment for what it was, which was her and Elijah, curled under a horribly irritating and scratchy blanket in front of a fire._

_It reminded her though, that the simpler things were what mattered the most._

"Elena?"

The brunette looked up from her salad to her brother across the kitchen table, "Hm?"

"Are you going to eat? You've been playing field hockey with that crouton, but it looks like the lettuce is winning."  
Stabbing her lettuce with the fork, Elena grinned to her brother as she shoved it in her mouth. It was funny, when Elena was human, she would tend to eat away her problems, usually with a tub of cookie dough ice cream, but as a vampire she preferred to drink them away as she had the night before with Caroline and Bonnie.  
Now, she was eating dinner with her brother a day later, taking her frustrations out on a piece of green.

"Yeah, I don't think I feel like eating. I'm just going to clean up here…"  
She put her fork down to start her more "regular" relaxation technique.  
Cleaning.  
As a vampire, it wouldn't take long, but tonight Elena was going to take her time while her brother watched TV in the living room.

Keeping her music just low enough to enjoy the hum, Elena was working on the dishes when there was a light tap on the door.

"Jer, can you grab that?" She had assumed it to be Caroline, stopping by for some "girl talk", and could hear her brother jump slightly, apparently not hearing the knock (vampire senses could be useful when necessary) but pushed away the thought of the visitor as she turned back to her cleaning until she heard her brother's breath quicken.

"Uh…Elena?" she heard him pause for a moment causing Elena to turn the corner and choke back a gasp like a rock being shoved down her throat.  
She couldn't find the words, even though she had so many to say.

"I'm going to go…upstairs. I'll be in my room if you need me." Her brother gave a look that spoke (screamed)'say the word ad I will be down here in a second'. She imagined him already calling Bonnie or Stefan behind his back, but Elena only smiled confidently.

Elijah was no threat to her, even as he stood there in a ragged state of displacement.  
He didn't seem right, but as she stood casually in the doorway, she really began to notice him. Usually the Original stood tall and confident and had a cooling air about him. In her doorway though, he had his hand resting o the doorframe, it looked normal enough to any other onlooker, but Elena could see he was-in a way- holding himself up. His eyes were wild and she could see he had worn that suit for longer than a day, but she still felt sour.

"Elijah." She turned sideways to stare at the wall, fussing with the salad bowl that she was cleaning. "Shouldn't you be with Alma?"

She didn't mean to have such a jealous tone, but she needed to haze her concern with something. She wasn't ready to strip herself of her shields just yet.  
Yet, Elijah seemed angrier than normal, more off center.

"I would…" he mumbled, his confidence gone as he spoke under his breath, "If she wasn't dead…"

Elena had been fighting not to look at him, but the pain in his voice was so faint, yet she could still hear it.  
She was feeling it, something she thought she had shut off.

"Elijah I-" she started, but he wasn't looking at her, only to the ground as if he held an unmanageable amount of shame.

"It's fine." His voice was icy and distant as if he was on another plane of existence. "May I come in?"

In her own confused-and now-selfishly placed emotions, she had barely acknowledged him until now, so she nodded quickly and stepped towards him to be closer.  
She needed to feel closer to him. This gradual feeling that was building was something that she had felt before, her mind was opening up to his again as if she had been caught off guard.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. She knew Jeremy had to be listening in, but Elijah was a private man, he deserved not to be heard since he was giving her the time of day. He only took a couple of steps in the house, keeping a short distance from her as if he was still wary.  
Wary of her, wary of them, maybe even of himself as if inwardly he were fighting a demon.

"How are you Elena?" he questioned, passing over the topic of Alma.  
He was compartmentalizing his emotions as if he was lost in the outside, trying to live in a new world.  
Elena couldn't fight it, she understood loss. From her parents, to Aunt Jenna to Alaric she could relate with the need to withhold everything negative and put a smile on. Except Elijah wasn't smiling.

"I'm all right." She began, and reached cautiously for his hand, allowing the tips of her fingers to graze his own. "Elijah…I am so…"

"It doesn't matter."

Grabbing onto his hand, Elena felt the familiar rush again, much stronger than before and one she hadn't felt in a couple of days. It was raw unabridged emotion. While need surged out to her more than anything, the choking sensation of death and sadness were overwhelming. It was like a rubber band hitting the wrist while finally breaking at the core. She was in his head, but all she saw was fire and all she felt was a powerful desire.

"Elijah what-" she stammered, unable to hold back a feeling of resentment, not towards him, but to an no-faced subject that deserved no empathy.

It was vengeance.

She was still talking when his lips collided into hers, not allowing her to continue, and her hands shot up to hold onto his face for control, running her fingertips along his prominent jawline, traveling to his hair while he pushed her against the wall.

"It is not important Elena." He growled into her lip. That need she felt before wasn't her own, and it was burning stronger now like a numbing disease shooting through her finger tips to her joints to guide Elijah against her.

"I don't need to talk." He hissed as he ran his teeth along her neck. _I need __you__ Elena.  
_This was his forgiveness, all over her as if tantalizingly weak he had given in much easier than she expected. She had planned to beg, grovel ad cry, but she could feel this…darkened pain shadowing his admiration and forgiveness. He wasn't angry with her, just hurt, but that pain was replaced by Ala now, which was as comforting as it was discomforting.  
She had given in as well, returning his kiss with her own and pulling at his brown strands, fallen lazily over his eyes, and allowed his hands to go as they pleased which aimed towards the middle thigh of her jeans.  
Each brush against her was like a new sensory reaction, like a blind person being able to see for the very first time but this time with touch. The emotions and euphoria were overwhelmingly powerful as if two became one without any warning.

This was what she had been missing.  
Elijah's aura was catastrophic to her mind, tearing her each way 'till Tuesday but Elea was all right with remaining forever caught in Monday.

"Elijah" she gave a light tug on his bottom lip, drawing a speck of blood to taste it on her own to slow him down which he did so regretfully.  
Pulling back an inch, he placed a light kiss on her nose, and nodded, knowing her thoughts, her emotions just as she had with him.

"Do you still want to shut it out?" he queried, but Elena only shook her head with a coy smile and eyed the stairs. She could hear her brother had his headphones on, but if they went upstairs the music wouldn't help him, so her gaze fell on the couch.

"Why would I do that?" her eyes danced vividly as she pushed him back, closer to the couch and pulled her shirt off _Not when I have you here again._

Elena loved the sly expression he got whenever she teased him, the pulling in of his bottom lip was more captivating (or threatening, depending on whose side you were on) than it was meant to be, but she never resisted, instead she pushed him harder again, forcing him to sit on the couch so she could straddle him.

She could feel it even stronger then, rushing through her, burning her skin like an arsenic-laced nostalgia while his hands traced her torso, his skin touching her own forcing each muscle to contort as her lips moved over the flesh of his neck, pulsating this time, reminding her of the hunger she felt. Even he was suffering from thirst, and Elena noticed his heart beat was barely audible, something that only happened after long periods of time without feeding.  
The instinct was primal, "feed or die" but she wasn't interested in blood now. She wanted his flesh, but for a moment she was lost. He wanted hers as well.

Pulling him forward, she had his shirt unbuttoned, his suit jacket and his chest exposed as she quickly drew bloodlines with her nails to run her tongue along them-just for a taste in harmless fun. He could enjoy her too, but the conquering feeling of desire was shooting through her veins from his own body while the building tension as they kissed was staggering ad he felt it just as strongly and in a rush he had her off of him, shoving her back against the coffee table, knocking off the candle placed nicely in the center, supporting her with his one hand, while his other unbuttoned her jeans, while hers fumbling to do the same as they watched each other in their own little world just for the two of them. It didn't matter that they were in her living room, both down to the bare minimum now as Elena was much more impatient than he was.

Leaning over her body, like an animal stalking it's prey, he brushed his fingers through her hair, pushing the strands aside to kiss her neck while Elena pulled his erection against her with a low coo that sounded like a kitten's purr, needing more as his thumb grazed her outer core, causing her legs to roll up in tension. They would toy with each other often testing the other's resolve in foreplay, but tonight Elena was not in the mood for games, the anger and deception from their fight had built into more than a sexual leniency but a thriving volcano ready to erupt.  
Tonight, she was begging for forgiveness after all, letting go of her inhibition and consideration for her brother upstairs, and when she felt his length brush against her layers, teasing her entrance, her back arched expectantly against the oak table, surprised it remained in one piece as she gripped it's edges, struggling to keep it from crumbling under her touch as she was under his.

He slipped off her underwear, the fabric sliding against her legs was numbing as she kicked the off to the side, not thinking of what was to happen in the morning when Jeremy woke up.

She could feel her insides stretch when he finally entered her, leaving forward , closer so their noses were touching as he moved in slowly, as tedious as he usually did, but this tie was a little different. There was angst in his movement, and in the kiss that followed. It was only him fighting his desire to rip her body apart and ravage her which she was willing to allow.  
Biting her lip, she held in the low moan that was trying to force itself out as she moved with him, propping her leg on his hip bone to take him in deeper.

They were both lost now, in a swirl of emotions, everything else around the faded to a deep red of blood and lust, words were no longer exchanged, only powerful imagery from the depths of their minds. Each apology, each forgiveness exchanged seemed to no longer matter. They were gone, only seeing each other as how they loved, how they felt, and the pressure as one moved against the other. They were lost in translation, mere ghosts to those around the, and as she moaned his name aloud she (and even he) was snapped back into reality, feeling herself release into a surge of ecstasy in a climax, dragging her nails into the back of his neck. She could feel her fangs protrude to the scent of his blood under her nails and to stifle her moan, she allowed them to pierce his jugular. The mere taste of his immortal blood sent her into overdrive, and his own lack of concentration from the bite brought him to release as well, the cool rush taking over her body as she "fed" put her in another enraptured trance.  
When she released his neck, barely a moment later, her body was shaking as she ran her tongue along the vein to clean up the already closed wound, and pulled his body-also in a light tremble- she kissed him again whispering into his mouth words that made no sense to him.

"Please don't leave again."

He wouldn't leave again as long as she would have him, she knew, she could see it in his mind, but even if she did push him away, she never wanted him to take her seriously. Not with that.

She felt him situate his feet as he wrapped his arms around her and stepped back, falling gracefully onto the couch again with the side blanket (every day Elena realized how glad she was to have one everywhere just in case) and wrapped it around the as she slipped next to him to fall back into his arms.  
Besides the emotions being in need of a recheck, a conversation that would have to occur at a later time, Elena felt complete again. This "make up" as it was, had been what she needed, and what he needed as well.

They weren't ghosts anymore, not to each other, or anyone else.

* * *

**So now we have our reunion!  
We will-after this chapter- begin to see a slightly darker side coming over Elijah but not "evil" he's not really going to be taking it out on anyone (like Elena for example) but his actions/in-actions towards certain things, such as whoever killed Alma, will be clear. It's going to be fun though, now that the EE drama angst is out of the way :)** **I hope you all enjoyed this story and please review 3**


	37. We All Have to Pay our Dues

**Chapter Eight  
We All Have to Pay our Dues**

There were crickets outside, so Elena originally thought that she had heard, but during the winter it was unlikely.

"It's your front door."

Elena had her head rested on the blanket that covered Elijah's lap, the fabric wrapped around her bare skin covering everything besides her feet as she faced the television. They had remained like that for hours, and dawn was soon to break.

"I figured," she replied, purring slightly as he rubbed her shoulder, massaging the spot in between the blades that easily made her croon, but he wasn't about to distract her "So… do you want to talk about it?"

The "it" didn't have to be defined between them. Elena had her own ways of letting Elijah know what she was talking about, and Alma's death had been weighing down on her mind as well as his.  
She felt him stiffen, his body tensing at the thought of the late witch, just as expected.

"Why don't you tell me about what you've been up to? I'm sure your day was more eventful." The Original bypassed her question without hesitation, but Elena could feel his pain well enough. It was a pain driven by guilt, which was the worst affliction. She would talk more about it later on, pushing him now wouldn't help and she didn't want to end up pushing him further away.

"Regan had some friends in the witch's council; they were able to set something up for Lili to manage her wolf side so they took her yesterday." She wanted to keep it short and sweet as she knew how Elijah felt about the hybrid child and hybrids in general.

"Tell me about these witches…" he ran his fingers through the strands of her hair that fell over her shoulder, teasing her as she turned up to face him and groaned.

"Tessa…Emma…" she rolled her eyes, "and Liam." She spat the warlock's name like it was vervain on her tongue, "he had a lot to say in so few words." It had only taken the twenty minutes of being stuck in a room with him for her hatred to form and she realized that Elijah could feel that anger emanating between them like a veil of burning fire, this time not in a passionate sense as they had experienced not long before. The current feeling however, was matched sharply by an icy sting, forcing her to sit up and turn back to Elijah with surprise.

"Elijah, what's wrong?" she had never felt something so harsh from him before, and she wasn't sure what it was that caused it.

"Three witches…Elena?" he questioned, his jaw was taut and Elena could have sworn she saw the veins around his eyes turn, but it had to be an illusion, Elijah's eyes never turned-even as he fed.

"Yeah…why?" she reached for his hand, grasping onto one finger and watched as his expression remained cold, only becoming more frozen.

"It's nothing Elena, really." He looked into her eyes and for a moment, she could see a flash of sadness matched with a gloomy shade cross his eyes. She knew he was hiding something as he seemed defeated by his thoughts and possibly guilted by his inactions, but Elena wasn't comforted. In fact, she was frustrated.

"Elijah, I thought that we were past this!" she let go of his hand and grimaced, "I feel like…after these couple of days I finally have you back, I don't want to lose you again." In a swift fleeting glance, his expression shifted and when he opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off, "I get it okay? I don't need you to tell me every little thing that goes through your mind, but this is big. Alma was a friend and I am here for you to talk to."

When Elena had lost her parents, she did a session or two of therapy (making sure she wasn't going through survivor's guilt) but after that, she had turned her pain inward, mastering the art of wearing a smile on her face instead of the tear stains on her cheek.  
She could understand what he was doing, but it would be much easier to push to the side if the thoughts weren't striking in her mind like the violent backlash of a sword.

Elijah sighed while giving a quarter nod and looked outside as the sun was beginning to rise, but Elena didn't have to look out to feel it. Since becoming a vampire, even with a daylight ring, her senses reacted erratically to the pending burning of her flesh, warning her to take cover. It was easier to ignore now, especially since she had the Original sitting before her in his distress.

"You're right." Elijah passed her a quirked smile and rubbed his hand gently against her exposed forearm. "I'm sorry." He seemed genuine, he never said anything that he didn't mean, and she could feel his discourse traveling from him to her through his fingertips, "Do you have any class today?"

At first, she wasn't sure if he was really asking, or changing the subject, but she nodded to respond. "Yeah, full schedule today. I won't get back until at least five."

She hated having a full day of classes, sitting through two hours straight of the History of the Civil War bored her to tears, the following of Creative Writing was the only thing that made it worth it.

"How about when you get out of class we will talk about Alma…and anything else you want to talk about." Elena could see it in his eyes that he wasn't able to talk about her now, and on top of that he seemed distracted, like he had somewhere else that he needed to be.

"That sounds like a plan." She replied warily, but smiled to him. She could easily find out what he was thinking-force the thoughts out of him- but she would hate it if he did that to her…but the idea wasn't as off-putting as she expected. "I should probably get ready…" wrapping her arms around his neck, she brushed a kiss against his lips, pulling herself up into his lap, teasing him as she slid against him. "But I could stay a little bit longer…" Nipping lightly into the thinnest layer of skin on his neck, she could feel his concerns fade off while he pulled her closer, his hand sliding under the blanket to move up the skin of her spine.

"Are you trying to make me forget?" he was resisting, even with her on top of him, and she hated that he always had to question every motive, even her own. It was as if he treated her like she was as manipulative as Katherine in which she could be if she wanted to.

"It's working, isn't it?" she teased, kissing him again, but he lifted her off carefully, passing her his dress shirt.

"Even though I really may regret this…throw this on so we can get dressed. I have some things I need to take care of as well."

Elena could tell he wasn't enjoying his decision by the way his eyes moved over her body as she moved to slip her arms into his shirt with a frown. She ran the back of her hand over his cheek before pulling her hair into a messy ponytail then standing up to toss Elijah his pants.

"You have clothes upstairs, come on." She grabbed his hand once he was dressed and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

* * *

Bonnie wasn't entirely impressed when she received the text message from Jeremy telling her that Elijah had returned. Of course, she was happy for Elena but the entire situation was making her uneasy. From what her friend had told her, there were too many secrets between the two of them and that was never healthy for a relationship, even that of vampires running on such heightened emotions.

It was early in the morning when Caroline sent her usual good morning texts, this one including a picture of her and Elena, both smiling and waving to the camera with the text saying "Miss you!" underneath. Elena looked happy, which comforted Bonnie knowing that her friend was still in one piece, and smiling most likely because of Elijah's return. The "Miss you!" text was referencing to how Bonnie was usually with them, but today her first two classes were cancelled, so she had the morning off.

As she got dressed, she could hear a soft knock on the door. The last time someone had come knocking on her door, it had been Regan and while she hoped it wasn't her this time she was unsure. As she approached the door, her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail she pulled her white long sleeve over her black tank top, she wondered who it was. The moment her hand touched the door knob however, she wasn't feeling a witch's power, but instead the sense of death from a vampire.  
With a gulp, she opened the door with a smug glaze of irritation to be staring directly into Elijah Mikaelson's eyes as he stood casually in her doorway, his expression cold and calculating.

"Elijah…" she began attentively taking one step back, "what are you doing here?" She highly doubted he was at her house for a social call (as nobody ever was) so she needed to know.

"I was wondering if you had a moment to talk."

The witch had only invited Stefan, Elena and Caroline into her home, but any other vampire always made a subconscious effort to step inside, but not Elijah. He stood straight up without even looking past her…it was something Bonnie found strange.

"Is Elena all right?" she couldn't help but ask, even knowing her friend was okay since she had just seen her picture with Caroline, but she couldn't imagine any other reason for him to be at her home. When he nodded his head however, she found herself more confused than relieved.

"Would you mind stepping outside? I know you wouldn't feel comfortable inviting me into your home."

Elena had told her about how he tricked her Aunt Jenna into getting invited inside the Gilbert home, but he didn't seem interested enough to attempt for an invitation. "Sure…" she started, unsure, confused and feeling set back, almost as if by stepping outside she would be walking into unknown territory, "Just let me grab my coat."

Pulling on her long grey overcoat from the closet, the witch joined the Original, wondering if her father was still sleeping since his car was in the driveway. It was a pointless observation since they hardly spoke two words to each other a day, but it was anything to notice her surroundings, and Elijah's car behind his was off-setting her usual routine. "So what's up?"

Bonnie was holding her ground, refusing to go soft around Elijah, but she could see it in his expression, a deep rooted issue that he may or may not be at her home to discuss.

"I'm going to keep this visit short since I have other things I need to take care of today, so I will get straight to the point." He drove her insane. His usually cold and contemplative manner made him seem impossible to manage (and to Bonnie, all vampires needed to be "managed" one way or another, besides a few she had grown close to and she refused to place Elijah in that small group just yet) yet while not degrading he seemed so casually entitled. "Alma is dead."

Everything went out the window, her irritation, her curiosity of his intentions, her confusion. She let out a gasp before biting back the inside of her cheek to prevent any tears, Alma, while not a friend was a fellow witch and ally. "What happened?"

She led Elijah to the yard swing that sat on the property, and sat down to regain her composure.

"I am so sorry Bonnie…" was all he said, temporarily avoiding the question instead seeming softer than before. "It looked like she was attacked."  
He paused and seemed to take a deep breath, but stood before her rather than join her on the swing (which was fine with her, and not much of a surprise), it gave Bonnie the chance that she needed to study him for a moment, as he seemed to be lost in the study of others so often, and she could see that he was broken about the news as well.

"So why did you come here?" she questioned, watching the vampire's features. When he first appeared at her door, she was uneasy, and he seemed plagued with disturbing thoughts which she had mistakenly taken for malicious intent. Now he seemed more relaxed in her presence, so she figured he needed something more.

"So…what do you need from me?" it seemed to be the popular theme with this vampire. He preferred to use people to his advantage, to achieve his goals, so she didn't think this was the wrong assumption. Besides, her and the Original had barely ever spoken besides one conversation (that was short lived) in her car before their dealings with Tatia, and she never considered hiding her disgust at his relationship with her friend so to be uneasy around him wasn't uncalled for.

"I don't need anything from you Bonnie." He raised an eyebrow in confusion and tilted his head as if seeing her at a new angle would figure her out faster, "I came here to warn you."

The witch found herself on the defensive, and she could see Elijah stiffen before her, also going on edge by the sense of her power.

"Warn me?" she tried not to laugh, "Warn me about what? And why didn't you just have Elena tell me?"

"I didn't tell Elena my intentions because I am not sure what you want to do about it. I know she would come rushing over here to do something, but I fear the attention would only make matters worse, I intended on explaining everything to her after I had spoken you first." He was quick to explain, and somewhat brash as if he knew he should have told her first in order to allow Elena to "make her own decision" or whatever it was he did, but Bonnie was grateful that he didn't. Elena would freak out, blame herself and only feel worse while coming at an unsuspecting Bonnie, now Bonnie could be prepared for her friend. "As for the warning…" Elijah continued, "I found Alma dead in a home that I owned, and witches were involved. The entire house was soaked in magic."

Bonnie could tell that he was with holding something important, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was, but urged him to continue impatiently.

"Alma was not one to start trouble; she caused no harm, and kept to herself. The only time she ever got into the middle of anything supernatural was when she appeared at my doorstep to help with our…Tatia, Katerina and Klaus problem. You do the math."

Bonnie nodded; she knew where this was going. The witches that assisted the Original hybrid had found a way to begin getting their revenge, and here she was thinking that they were all dead.

"Why are you telling me this?" she questioned his motives first and foremost, just like anyone else would (besides Elena, though she hated to admit it). "What could you possibly gain from this? Or better yet, what do you want?"

She knew what Elijah was about, he never did anything without an ulterior motive, or he was keeping her alive to ensure that he has a new witch in his back pocket to replace the old one.

Alma, as she vehemently told her, wasn't "Elijah's witch", but a friend but even that meant nothing now. She was dead, just like most of those connected to the oldest vampire, even Elena suffered because of his affections.

"I gain nothing," he shrugged off the snide comment but didn't take his eyes away from hers, "You helped save Elena's life multiple times, and for that I feel indebted to you. I don't want to see you getting hurt.

For the briefest moment, Bonnie softened towards him-against her better judgment- and smiled. "Is there anything else?" she asked, covering any sign of dropping her guard quickly. _He is still an Original_ she reminded herself, even while with Elena, she would not be safe with him.

"Yes actually." Bonnie's eyes followed Elijah's hand to his suit jacket pocket where he pulled out a bracelet made of diamonds and showed it to her.

"Is this for Elena? It's beautiful!" she examined the jewelry without touching it, in amazement (yet a twinge of jealousy) for her friend, but became confused when Elijah shook his head.

"No. This is for you." Bonnie raised an eyebrow this time to Elijah's blunt and plain statement, and gave him a distant look and he chuckled. "Alma said you should have this…it will come in handy someday."

Gently, and without question as to how Alma relayed the message, Bonnie took the bracelet from his hand and was surprised by the bizarre comforting feeling teased her fingertips. This feeling, while strange, was still familiar. It was the feeling of trust and warmth that she got every time she was near another witch that she could trust. It was magic, and pulling her nearer as if the bracelet belonged to her and her alone now.

"Bonnie?" Elijah looked to her concerned as she slipped on the diamonds.

"Sorry." She examined the bracelet on her wrist as the morning sun glistened against it's beauty. "This has magic. I think it must be Alma's magic, and it may still be centered. You didn't notice?"

The Original shook his head, "No, maybe your magic had to give it a boost. It is possible." though he seemed unsure, "Are you familiar with this sort of object?"

Now it was Bonnie's turn to be unsure, and she shrugged in response. "If this holds her magic, that means that she was wearing it when she died, and it already had magical properties."  
This "gift" was astonishing, the magic that she was feeling flowing through her body was soothing, yet itchy as if the power was still making itself at home, planting roots among Bonnie's. "I may be able to pull memories out of it somehow…if you want."

Elijah seemed pleased by the news, but still stood uneasily before her, he seemed to still have questions but kept them back.

"Is there anything else that I should know?"

The Original had nothing else for her, and turned back towards his car. "Bonnie, if you come up with anything, or have any thoughts please don't hesitate to call me. I want to find out who is responsible for her death, otherwise there is no rush. I have all of the information that I need right now to work with and I hope you enjoy the bracelet."

He wasn't trying to force anything out of her, or needing her help, but instead he was silently offering his own to do what she was now intending on making her goal.  
She was going to find out who did this to the witch.

* * *

The day dragged on, each class-that was originally supposed to be an hour each- felt like an eternity. While Elena had an eternity to do as she pleased, she was antsy to get out and go home. As she exited the building, her final class done for the day (and thankful that she had off for the next two) she pulled her grey sweater over her purple turtleneck and fixed her hair when she saw a familiar black car in the front spot of the parking lot. Approaching it quickly while searching the campus for Caroline she reached the opposite side to the curb to see the raven haired vampire hop out.

"Look at you all studious and such!" he opened his arms wide with his usual suspicious grin.

"What are you doing here Damon?" the other vampire huffed, as if getting throughout the school day wasn't hard enough, her friend looked like he was up to something.  
She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot as she stood before him, doing what she could to make herself seem taller (a habit she had grown attached to since entering the world of vampires), but she was in a rush and Caroline (who had picked her up in the morning) was her ride back, not Damon.

"I came here to bug you of course." He joked, "and to give you a ride."

"Where's Caroline?" she felt like she was in some suspense/mystery movie where the girl gets kidnapped by the guy who offers her a ride, even if Damon was a friend.  
He shrugged her off though, and opened the car door for her, his grin making her that much more nervous.

The Salvatore (Stefan included) was a close friend but that consuming feeling that was meant to define her love had turned more into a sharp irritation, but sometimes she could appreciate his charm, in small doses of course.

"She had to leave early, not sure why I think something about Tyler and I happened to run into her. I'm not sure."

Elena didn't believe him, something told her that he had asked Caroline to pick her up so that he could talk to her, but she got in the car anyway figuring that there was no harm that could be done.

"So," Damon smiled again as he joined her in the car, "Here we go again. Where to Miss Daisy?"

The engine roared to life before Damon sped out of the parking lot, her intention to go straight home, and she hoped he realized that. "You don't have to play taxi Damon," she sighed and found herself playing with her hair again, a growing nervous habit, and he had her uncomfortable.

"I know, I just wanted to see how you were doing." He replied off handedly, "What? Is there a problem with that?"

The obvious answer was no, but giving Damon that kind of power over her would be poisonous.

"Yes…I don't need a chauffeur." She grinned wildly to him and pushed his shoulder lightly (careful not to disturb his hand on the wheel) , "I could have walked…or ran…" in other words, she could have done anything else, she wasn't an invalid after all. She watched the college fade away in the rearview mirror, imagining the high school times that should have been easier, but had actually become more stressful than it should have been.

"Uhh…Earth to Elena!"

The brunette shot her head up in surprise, not realizing that she had zoned out in her reflection.

"Sorry, what?" She needed to keep her head on straight, lately she had been zoning out too often lately.

"I said that I figured you would have wanted a ride since Elijah isn't around." Damon's attempt at being soft towards a situation that (while short lived) had been tough on her was unnerving, and she knew that if he had spoken to Caroline, she would have told him that he was back.

"Well…Elijah's back so you didn't have to."

Damon raised an eyebrow as they pulled up to her house at the same time as Jeremy in Matt's truck, but he left the engine running in neutral. "So, the prodigal Original returns," she could see his lip twitch slightly in disgust, "To your open arms I assume."

Damon's disappointment was not being hidden well, but she saw that for his sake, he tried.

"It wasn't Elijah's fault, I told him to leave." She didn't have to explain his actions, but Elena felt like she had to come to his defense since he wasn't there to do so himself. "Besides, it doesn't matter now; we have other things to worry about."

"What does that mean?"

"Alma is dead." She said gravely, and while she expected Damon to at least try to show sorrow or remorse, instead, he pursed his lips.

"I'm not surprised, he lost his witch. Maybe now you will see that those around him don't live very long." A strange sound erupted from Damon's throat after he spoke as he rolled his eyes. It was déjà vu all over again and of course he was always quick to make a comment about her and Elijah but thankfully Elena was quickly learning to ignore it. While what he thought was important to her in theory, Damon (and Stefan too) was too clouded by the love they had for her, and while Damon played the cat and mouse game with Katherine for the past year, since Elena and Elijah had returned however, the first doppelganger from Tatia had left, most likely in hopes of avoiding the Original.

"Anyway, I'm going to go inside…" she spoke softly as Matt waved while driving by, "Thank you for the ride Damon, really." She waved the Salvatore off as she stepped out, longing for the friendship that they used to have before everything became so complicated and followed her brother inside.

* * *

Elijah was at her door within twenty minutes of her coming home, barely giving Elena the chance to figure out what to eat, and decided that Chinese take-out was something new and was in the middle of ordering when he arrived.  
With the phone on her shoulder, she pulled him inside as she waiting for her total.

"Chinese?" he questioned when she hung up, taking his jacket and nodded.

"Something different, she replied quickly, "And I didn't have time to cook anything so…" She paused for a moment as she moved his jacket onto the hanger when a strange yet familiar smell to reach her nose. Incense. "Where you at Bonnie's today?"

Chances are, had she been talking to anyone else they would have been surprised. Elijah on the other hand, snickered as he walked to the living room, understanding all too well how powerful a vampire's sense of smell really could be.

"Yes, I had to give her something that belonged to Alma." He disclosed inadvertently, "A magical bracelet of some kind…I don't really know anything about it."

He seemed distracted, and Elena could sense that he was holding back something burrowed deep and when she reached into his mind-finished with his games- and caught a glimpse of her friend and the distraught expression while he warned her…_warned her of what?_

"If you had asked me, I would be able to tell you myself." Elijah seemed violated as she entered his mind, but she needed answers and at least now she had his attention.

"So then tell me Elijah, what is going on? Because you aren't always so quick to share the details." She had intended on talking to him about Alma, but now they were onto Bonnie which worried her more.

"I have reason to believe that Bonnie is in danger." He told her as she joined him on the couch, "But I intend on looking into it more before explaining, I don't want to jump to any conclusions."

"So what? That means you can't tell me?" now it was her turn to be hurt, "Elijah…for two people who can share thoughts, you keep so much from me, how does that make any sense?"

For a brief moment, Elijah's expression contorted in pain and he frowned, looking away. "Alma was killed by witches, and just as I explained to Bonnie…there is only one group of witches who would do this to her." He paused, allowing Elena to speak but she was at a loss for words.

She knew what it meant, still to this day, Klaus was tormenting him. As if Elijah's brother hadn't done enough damage. "There were more witches…they did it. She breathed, finally finding the words, covering her mouth with her hand, "What does that all mean?"

Elijah shrugged, everything was still in up in the air it seemed, "I haven't figured it out just yet, but I am working on it I assure you."

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" She felt so useless. Having no connection to Alma made her empty of the emotions about her death, so she couldn't share his feelings. However, she could relate. Losing someone could hurt and she had lost so many people over the years.

"There is nothing for either of us to do, however..." he paused knowingly and a devious smile crossed his lips, "You could tell me more about those witches…" Elena could tell there was something darker about his intentions, but the doorbell rang and Elena could already smell the General Tso's chicken on the other side.

When she returned, Elijah was already grabbing utensils (but only one spoon for Elena since she never mastered chopsticks) and plates.

"I hate to disappoint, but I don't know anything about the witches. They came, me and Liam had it out, they left…end of story."

"Liam attacked you?" Elijah seemed infuriated for a moment, but that was covered by Elena's own embarrassment, it was her own fault after all.

"More like…I attacked him," she looked down and stuffed her mouth with a spoonful of rice to avoid saying anything more if she could avoid it but Elijah's look of amusement was almost frightening.

"You? Why?"

Elena shook her head as she struggled to make sure it stayed away from her food and pretended to choke back on her food before swallowing to change the subject. "Two of them were older, probably in their fifties. Why do you need to know?"

Slowly, he was prying information from her, mostly from her mind, all while she was working the same game but playing it the old fashioned way, but it was working well enough.

"There were three witches in Alma's home." He responded darkly and Elena began to feel a new kind of emotion, one that wasn't fitting in the conversation. She wanted to kill and seek vengeance, and it was making her hungry.

"So you think that these witches did it?" she bit her lip to control the need as she stared directly into Elijah's eyes, using him as her anchor something she used to do when she first transitioned. The need was growing, festering like a disease taking over but it made no sense. She didn't need to feed, but she wanted to. It was like her anger was channeling it's way into her vampire nature, a new uncontrollable feeling and she was losing it.

"Elena, are you all right?"

Slowly, the feeling faded and she realized, while she was feeling her hunger (prompting her to get up and get a blood bag) the sense of vengeance that had formed was not hers, but Elijah's. Somehow though, he showed no sign of feeling this and had accidentally shared it with her.

"I'm fine," she mumbled as she bit into the bag, "I'm sorry…"

"No, I apologize. I shouldn't have let you in."

His apology was honest, but that didn't mean she wanted to be shut out again.  
When Elena sat back down it was like the room had gone cold suddenly, the conversation had turned from Alma and her death to school, Kol and Rebekah (whom he told her were returning within the next few days) and even Caroline with her abrupt arrival at his home the other day.

It had turned into a more relaxing evening after Elijah cut her out of his mind again, but it wasn't until later into the evening, after Jeremy had gone out for the night when the thoughts began to bother Elena more. It wasn't just Alma anymore. Elena felt so shut out, and she was going to have to find a way to weasel herself in.

"Elijah…" They were upstairs in her bed, Elena curled tight against his chest while she listened to his abnormal heart thump (which she realized at times, wouldn't beat for hours) and felt the cool touch of his skin against her face.

"Yes Elena?" he sounded exhausted, something rare for any vampire, let alone an Original, but she could understand. It's been a stressful couple of days for him, and that was putting it lightly. The way he was speaking now, she knew he had his eyes closed even if he was still listening.

"When you were human… did you intend on having a family?" she had to ask, the thought had been long since bothering her since she found Liliana. The way he reacted, she wasn't sure if it was only because she was a hybrid or the possibility of her just being a child in his life.  
She could feel Elijah's mind racing, even though he had cut her out, and she knew that is she concentrated would have been able to travel into the flashbacks with him that she knew he was going through, but she also was too tired.

"During that time," he said after a few minutes of thought, "my not having a family was unheard of. I was the oldest of my siblings, but I refused to marry just anyone. I couldn't do it. My brother and I were fighting for Tatia's affections and at the time I was too blinded by her to see any other."

"That didn't answer my question." Elena didn't want to play ping pong with this question and answer game, she felt like she had better things to do, even if she didn't.

Elijah's hand moved down towards hers, and he grasped lightly onto it, placing a light kiss on her knuckle and replied again, "The answer is no. I never thought about it. During that time period I was raised to believe that you marry a woman, then you have children. It was a requirement, a job not done out of love or devotion but for necessity. With no intention on marrying, I had no intention on children." Had deliberated for a moment, as if taking apart her question to look into it deeper and continued, "Now, if you are asking me if I mourned the fact that I would never have a family of my own after my mother turned us, the answer is yes, yes I did. That has a lot to do with why the bond between myself and my siblings is so powerful, all we have is each other. Elena, what brought this on?"

She could tell he knew the answer already, and shrugged him off as she explained. "Nothing in particular," she lied, "It's just that since I turned I guess I realized what I can never have." She didn't have the heart to tell him that his reaction to Liliana had taken her off guard, but as his arm tightened around her, holding her closely to nuzzle his nose into her hair, she realized that Elijah knew very well what she meant.

"Since…Liliana you mean."

She tightened her stance in response, ignoring his tone of his usual, all-knowing passing. "I guess so. I think it finally hit me that…my future will be so different."

Elena could feel Elijah tense, a swift feeling of guilt washing over him, but this wasn't his fault he had to know that by now. She was the one who made the decision to turn, he only did as she asked and nothing more. Now she saw that even though he was letting her into his mind again (probably because he was slowly falling asleep) he was controlling any emotion he could, just as he always did.

"Mortality is a beautiful thing Elena…"he said softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, entwining the strands around his fingers, "But that doesn't mean immortality should be dark. There are some things that I have seen since turning that are quite amazing."

With a sigh, Elena brushed her lips against his chest and pulled the comforter to her chin. Things may be dark now, but Elena saw the beauty in things differently as a vampire. She had no reason not to cherish it.

* * *

_Lush green grass sifted between her toes, and with a blink, Elena gained focus on everything around her. She was in a field in the middle of nowhere with a thick fog running through it. Walking down the rolling hill, she realized that she was still in the sweatpants and t-shirt that she had fallen asleep in showing her this was just a dream until she stopped dead in her tracks._

_Fire._

_Orange flames burned only yards ahead, the smoke filling her lungs and rolling around the environment surrounding her. As she stepped closer, she saw two familiar figures sitting hunched on the ground. The blonde seemed bubbly and happy but the other seemed down trodden and lost in thought, it was Elijah and Alma._

_Elena peered around the fire to watch them, still lost as to where she was until she caught it, the faint smell of human flesh burning under the flames that was covered by the hint of magic. A pyre, she hadn't asked what Elijah had done with Alma's body, but now she knew._

_From the distance, the dream walking vampire watched as the two talked, she saw as Elijah had trouble meeting the witch in the eyes until she began to fade into the atmosphere which is when he watched her sadly, knowing that was the last time he would ever see her. Once she was fully faded away back into the elements, everything began to make sense. Elijah saw Alma, he spoke to her after she died and it explained his drive for revenge. It was pushed by her visit, whatever she told him and his debt to her._

"_Elena, you don't have to hide." He said delicately and looked to her with a smile, "I can see you."  
Cautiously, she approached him, taking a seat in the grass next to him in front of the fire._

"_Did you bring me here?" she asked over the crackling, but Elijah shook his head._

"_No, looks like you found your way into my dream for once." He returned with a grin as she looked up in surprise._

"_I'm sorry, I had no idea…"_

"_It's all right Elena. It's better this way." He was always so cryptic and cocking her head in confusion, Elena edged closer to him as she waited for an explanation. "I don't want you to feel like this, I hope you understand. For some reason I can't always block you out when I think about it. That is why I have been avoiding the subject."_

_Everything was pulling back together like it should have from the beginning. Her own agonizing need for revenge, the pain she felt when he started to open up to her during dinner…she was feeling his pain, and because of it she had nearly lost control._

"_Then tell me now…" she begged, grasping onto his hand. "I'm here because you won't talk to me."_

_Elijah sighed, still staring into the flames while Elena waited impatiently. She knew he would talk to her when he was ready, but ready had to come soon enough. She could feel something tugging at her, as if trying to wake her up. She could tell she didn't have much time._

"_Alma told me that there were three witches that attacked her," he began and Elena gasped in surprise, "My first thought was the council, but now I'm not so sure…"_

_The younger vampire nodded agreeably. She understood what he was saying, but the tug was getting stronger, pulling her away and she couldn't fight it. "Elijah, you don't have to worry about me. You need to tell me the rest."_

Elena shot up in the bed. There was no more smoke, no grass, no fire. She was out of his dream now and feeling hungry, the feeling of the bloodlust burning in her throat.  
Elijah was still asleep next to her, so carefully she swung her legs over the bed, carefully pulling from the Original's embrace.

"Where are you going?" she heard him groan as his hand took hers, and she turned back to shake him off lightly.

"I need to feed," she murmured in response and while standing up, "I'll be right back don't worry."

All of the lights were off as she hobbled down the stairs towards the kitchen, not that it made a difference to a vampire. At the bottom of the stairs, she could feel something thick in the air…another presence.  
She wasn't alone.  
Listening closely, she could hear Elijah still asleep upstairs, and she glanced out the window to see Jeremy wasn't home either.

On alert, Elena ran to the fridge to grab a blood bag when she felt a rush from behind by the back wall, causing the vampire to shoot around sharply, her eyes darting frantically as she held tightly onto the bag as if it were her final lifeline. The thoughts of Alma's death, and the warning from Elijah to Bonnie raced through her mind, making her wonder if her witch friend was the only one in danger from their reach.

Before she could react, a sharp pain from the back of her knee knocked her off balance for a moment, but it wasn't long enough for her to brush it off, quickly jumping to her feet again on edge. She could feel it surrounding her, a powerful magic rushing around her like a cage, and like any newly caged animal she began to panic. Her silent intruder didn't belong, and she was focused on the source when a sharp pain hit her elbow, followed by a burning surge she was only remotely familiar with.

_Vervain_.

Choking out, she tried to focus her mind to call for Elijah, but magic seemed to be blocking it's way. She was trapped and alone in her house and as she rapidly tried to scream, the world began to turn into a blurry mess, her focus, each sense that she relied on, her connection with Elijah completely gone and she was unable to shout, it was taken away by magic. She could feel her muscles weakening as she collapsed, magic and more vervain beginning to shoot through her system as if she was breathing it in, taking it in through her pores.

She couldn't fight it anymore, and as she gave in…everything else faded to black.

* * *

**Usually I hate leaving chapters off with such cliffhangers, but I intend on updating this quickly since I put one of my other stories on a short hiatus. **

**I apologize if this one came out a bit messy, this is sort of how my brain is working lately but I hope you enjoyed it regardless :)  
**

**Oh and also, I didn't realize how long this chapter was going to come out to be, so thanks for reading!  
**

**Please review! Let me know what you thought!  
**


	38. Tainted Love

**Chapter Nine**

**Tainted Love**

_Elena blinked; once, twice…and one more time for good luck, with no such chance._

_She was in darkness. It beat around her like a drum tormenting her with it's beat. She could feel the black magic scratching at the top layer of her skin. Bonnie's magic was powerful, but gentle enough to lift a feather, this magic was drawn by evil intentions, it was ragged and unrestrained…which was a feeling that she had become all too familiar with a year before._

"_Hey!" she yelled out into the abyss. "Well, you've got me…so you might as well tell me what you want!"_

_Elena could hear the slightest echo of her words, bouncing off of the unseen walls around her. She was truly alone. There was nothing that she could fight off, no cage bars to break, no enemy standing before her giving some witty one-liner or worse, a speech on how they will "right the world" by doing the opposite of the right thing (Elena had to remind Elijah-if she ever got out of here- to make her stop watching movies before going to sleep.). Whoever this was, they were trying to drive her insane._

"_Well, you've got part of your theory." A voice echoed, a woman that sounded unfamiliar, and Elena bared her fangs in response._

"_Why don't you show yourself and we can talk about it?" the vampire snarled to her captor. Her night had ended so well and to be sent…wherever she was…had put her in a sour mood, which was putting it mildly._

"_Silly," the woman chuckled, sending chills down Elena's spine, "I can't do that and you know it."_

"_I know it? Well then you should know…that there is no reason for you to be afraid." A lie Elena was capable of, she still found herself twitching in angst.  
Her anger was powerful and unexplainable, had it been from not feeding? Elena couldn't be sure, but it was likely. Not only that but she felt like she had a dozen tiny itchy bugs crawling on her skin from the magic._

"_Yeah, sorry. We had to force the hunger on you to wake you up without startling your beloved Elijah." The woman sang his name to a tune in her own head, and Elena began to pace, tapping her fingers on her thigh. "He must be so worried about you."_

"_Stay…out of my head." she growled, beginning to rub her temple with her other hand._

_The woman let out a hearty laugh, "Then how else would I talk to you?"_

_The brunette stopped in her tracks looking up in the direction of the sky as if she had just received a message from someone above. "What does __that__ mean?"_

"_Oh honey, do you not realize where you are?"_

_How could she? Elena could hardly see her hand in front of her face, her eyesight was good but apparently not __that__ good. "Why don't you share?" she hissed through her teeth. _

_The voice made a clicking sound which played more like a metronome, counting down to the point where Elena lost it. "You are in your own mind Elena Gilbert. You are familiar with this trick aren't you?" she paused for a moment, "It's no fun right? I know I would hate it…but you vampires have no sense of personal space."_

"_What is your point?" Elena fought to keep her voice even, she wasn't about to show her frustration, but this woman was inside of her head, so chances are it didn't matter. "What good could this possible do for your cause? Which may I add, I don't understand."_

_The woman, who was still only a strong voice from around her (entwined with her magic) chuckled. "You vampires are so arrogant, you always believe you are s untouchable. Those __infuriating__ Originals that you find yourself so attached to? They are the worst of them all. They think that we cannot touch them without the white oak stakes, well they are wrong. We can tear each of them one by one by getting to what they love most."_

"_So what does that mean?" Elena was tired of playing games, growing more irritated with this question and answer charade for long enough, "Where is my body?"  
Elena felt helpless, trapped inside of her mind with no idea if Elijah or any of her friends were all right._

"_Don't worry. They have already found you, we never had any intention of harming you…just pass along our message. Consider this as a warning, all of you."_

* * *

"I'm just saying Kol, coming here only means more drama in our lives. I could do without it."

Kol had grown tired of his sister's complaining, and had he been in a worse mood he probably would have snapped her neck to shut her the hell up.  
Women babbling could get tiring, especially when it was aimed towards another female.

"Mmhmm." He hummed in response, beating against the steering wheel of his newly "purchased" Jeep Wrangler, (which was more like a generous gift from a home owner they had visited during their adventures) while waiting at a stop light in front of the sign that said "Welcome to Mystic Falls, population One Thousand"

"Hah, should say 'population five hundred' since half of this god forsaken town isn't even human, I doubt there are even that many people living here at all though, human or not!" Kol would say just about anything to get Rebekah's mouth off of Elena. After all, the doppelganger wasn't their problem, she was Elijah's plaything (and Kol could only imagine the ways he toyed with her…so young and willing? It was impossible to resist and no wonder that his oldest brother was enamored.).

"Yeah…" Rebekah agreed listlessly, and Kol knew she had something snotty to add but changed her tone as they entered the town, "I guess I could find a way to have fun here."

Rolling his eyes, Kol pressed on the gas, heading towards the Mikaelson Manor, a place he truly hoped he would never have to return to again. "Fun?" her older (only by one year as she pointed out all of the time) brother feigned shock, "Bekah darling in what other town would it be acceptable to tear the hearts out of witches?"

The blonde laughed, but let out a dejected sigh as they pulled into the long driveway of their abandoned home "I guess any town that the doppelganger resides."

And there they were, back on the subject of Elena Gilbert.

The driveway, usually lit by their own set of lampposts that lined the curve, was dark and dreary. Being set back far from the street made the large mansion seem so alone in the darkness. Putting the jeep in park, Kol prepared to hop out with hopes of avoiding any more doppelganger banter, but digressed.

Rebekah was a thousand year old vampire stuck in a high school girl's body and mindset and she was particularly jealous of the attention all of the Petrova women got from her brothers, especially the most recent one.

"Whatever you say Bekah." He replied half-heartedly, waiting for his sister to meet him in front of the jeep. "You are going to have to get used to this eventually you know. I doubt she is going anywhere anytime soon."

'Just deal with it' was the best advice he could give his hate driven sister, after all, Elena had helped them when she didn't need to, even if it were done only for Elijah, she died for them all. Even he-as screwed up as his morals were sometimes- couldn't forget that.

"Get used to it Kol? Everywhere one of those damn Petrovas show up, there is trouble and usually it is Elijah who gets effected in the process." She sneered, shaking her head in disappointment towards both of her brothers. "Especially this one! Where ever she goes trouble follows close behind!"

They were approaching the steps to the home when Kol caught a familiar burning scent, just slight enough to catch his attention.

"Wait." The dark haired Mikaelson thrust his arm out in front of his sister protectively and stopped dead in their tracks, "Do you smell that?"

Like a rabbit, Rebekah's nose twitched into the air and she turned to her brother, "Vervain."

Focusing his eyes on the door while Rebekah looked around them, they remained cautious; walking into a trap was not the way they planned to be welcomed back to Mystic Falls. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a pile lay on the large steps, what, from a distance looked like a disheveled mess of clothing, but Kol could smell the vervain coming from it as it trailed to his nose as if trying to push him away.  
Something wasn't right. The scent tagging along with it was human.

Dead, burning skin tied with the scent of their poison could only mean one thing, vampire. Motioning for Rebekah to stay back, Kol approached the body, limp and hunched over the steps as if it had been carelessly tossed out of a moving car. He recognized the chocolate hair, blood caking at the roots where her scalp met the concrete which left a dark brown stain where it remained.

"Bekah…call Elijah. Now." It was four am, but he knew his brother wasn't in the house, and with Elena here, a bloody vervain covered catastrophe, there was no telling what had happened, or if something was wrong with his brother.

When Rebekah stepped away to grab her phone, Kol rushed to the beaten younger vampire's side and scooped her into his arms and kicked down the door to get her inside, wondering if there was an attack coming his way.  
As he laid her limp body onto the couch, she began to twitch slightly. Her face, which was marked from the vervain, wouldn't heal until she fed, and Kol heard a car pull up and the door slam shut.

"Brother, how nice of you to join us." Kol looked up from the doppelganger to see Elijah, while unscathed, under his usual cool exterior seemed panicked and torn.

"I was on my way here before Rebekah called." Was all he said, his eyes set on Elena, and Kol knew that the less words Elijah used (which were usually very few) the angrier he was. The younger shifted to the side so his brother could kneel next to her, "What happened?" Elijah wasn't asking Kol, but more talking to Elena even though she wouldn't answer.

"I found her like this, covered in vervain." Kol answered in her stead, "We only got here a couple of minutes before you did, why don't you tell me?"

"I'm not even sure. It was like she just…disappeared in thin air, I followed her downstairs and then she was gone." Rubbing his thumb lightly over her forehead, Elijah took a deep breath and not taking his eyes off of her. "The entire house is coated in black magic and vervain." Regretfully, he lifted his gaze, casting a look to his younger brother, "Thank you Kol. Would you call Bonnie? Tell her it is an emergency."

* * *

Elijah watched as his brother left the room with Rebekah, who had been lingering in the broken doorway with a face of disgust that he was all too familiar with. It screamed at him _I told you so_, but his focus needed to remain on Elena, whose body looked sickly while her chest heaved in an effort to fight off the vervain's burn. He fought to enter her mind, but he had no such luck, the black magic was wrapped around her tight like a sheet, keeping him from entering and the vervain was powerful, from what he could tell the flower's dust had been injected into her somehow even as he touched her skin his fingers would burn.  
For it to have that effect an hour after she had been taken, enough had to have been put in her to kill a regular vampire.

_When they did this, did they know you were turned by an Original?_

Kol returned with a blood bag in hand and stood silently to the side, but Elijah could feel his piercing gaze, respectful enough to give the two space as Elijah made every attempt possible to break into her mind, but each time getting locked out feeling the sting of her mind against his.

"She'll be all right?"

Elijah turned partially towards his brother, still adjusting to Kol's fondness of Elena (as Kol hated most of everything) whether it derived from a pure fascination or out of respect to him, it didn't matter right now. Anything was better than Rebekah's spiteful glares like Elena _deserved_ everything that was happening to her. "I'm sure she will." He remained confident, "I don't believe they intended to kill her at all, if that was the case why not just put a stake through her heart?"

The thought that Elena could be taken so easily was worse than inconvenient. It was the last thing he ever wanted, but here she was…covered in vervain and dark magic while from what he could see, she was trapped in her mind.

Kol agreed with his brother, tapping his foot against the wall while impatiently looking to his watch. "I called Bonnie, had to wake her up, but she should be here soon."

Elijah was thankful that she was cooperating; he had told the Bennett witch he wanted nothing from her, and yet barely twenty four hours later, he was in need of her help.

Elena needed her help, and that was much more important than anything he could need.

A slight stir under his palm brought the Original's attention back to the young vampire, and he watched closely as the veins around her eyes began to blacken while her body began to fight back harder against the current threat-the vervain- and slowly, Elijah could feel her pulse quicken, a sense since faded away along with the burn, like she was coming back to reality.

"Elena?" he said in a hushed tone not wanting to disturb her, holding her hand in his. The vervain stung his skin, but over the years, the thousand year old vampire had learned to handle it, but building up his tolerance had only helped so much (a grenade to the face for example, would still burn) over time.

Her eyes fluttered open like shutters, opening to the bloodied pools behind her lids from the hunger. In a flash, much faster than he had expected, Elena let out a low dangerous growl as she pushed him off of her to tackle what she must have found as a threat to the ground. Her fangs were extended, her eyes wild with rage from the pain of burning flesh and she was angry, and his siblings both saw the new threat. Elijah saw Kol and Rebekah step forward to intervene, but he was faster and stronger. With a flick of the wrist she was holding down against the floor, he threw her back onto the couch, using his body to shield hers from the outside force of his siblings who were flanking his sides and ready to strike.

Elijah, like many others of his kind, found comfort in comparing a vampire's nature to that of an animal's instinct. Just like anyone should know that no matter how loyal one animal may be to it's master you never disturbed it when it was in pain or suffering. The same went for vampires, worse even since they had no "master" at all. "Relax Elena." He could have compelled her, (had he been willing to, and also if her body wasn't pumped full of vervain) but it wasn't necessary as the instant her back hit the couch, it was like she snapped back into reality and the look of instant confusion showed before she spoke.

"I-I'm sorry!" she choked, the vervain still holding strong in her system.

"It's okay…" he reassured, her eyes open wide and darting wildly around the room, "You seem to have been dropped here, do you know why?"

For a moment, Elena was in a different world, breathing heavily but when she closed her eyes for a moment, her entire aura seemed to change around her as if she was gaining back her strength.

"Are you all right?" asked Elijah as Kol and Rebekah stepped closer, both receiving warning glares from their old brother.  
Kol may have accidentally grown a soft spot for the final (so he hoped) doppelganger, but Elijah knew Kol well enough to realize that would not stop him from tearing out her heart if she were to be against them. He had gone through this thought process already a year ago when Tatia possessed her body.  
Elena was no threat now, she was frightened, confused, and most importantly, she was hungry.

"Yeah." She replied after some consideration, "Actually, I think I feel a lot better." Outstretching her arms, the vampire flexed her fingers as if to see if her joints were still working properly.

She looked better as well. Her skin, formerly covered in open sores from the vervain, had already begun to heal, even faster as she drank the blood bag that Kol had left next to the couch, and the veins around her formerly red eyes had also faded. She seemed completely back to normal besides the blood on her face from the sores.

"Bonnie is on her way, why don't you go get yourself cleaned up?" Elijah smiled sweetly to her, the upper corner of his lip curling as she stood to place a hand on his shoulder and nodded. He was trying to look as calm as he could, wondering if she could sense his emotions still…or if she had been too weak. He was just glad she was all right.

The instant that Elena was out of ear shot, Rebekah hissed to her brother, "You know you can't trust her right?"

Turning sharply to his sister, Elijah narrowed his eyes, "Knock it off Rebekah," he growled, standing up to remove his suit jacket. "Elena is fine."  
He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince them, or himself at this point, it was too early to tell.

Kol however, shook his head, pointing sideways to his sister. "Black magic is tricky brother," he agreed, "You told me over the phone that your witch was dead…killed by magic, then coincidentally your doppelganger gets kidnapped by someone using dark magic but instead of just killing her like your witch, they just dump her on our doorstep like a stray dog."

The two brothers, once again after a long time, were at odds, exchanging dangerous glares as they fought to keep their voices low. "What are you implying Kol?" Elijah raised an eyebrow in challenge to his brother as if to remind him just which one of them was older, who was more dangerous.

"All I am saying is that she could be possessed. A Trojan horse." He acted like he was speaking from experience.

"Well, you're wrong." Elijah went back at his brother, daggers shooting from his eyes, "I would know if she was different, trust me."

"It's not you we don't trust," Rebekah joined in, "She very well could be Elena, but without Elena's intent…"

The oldest brother's eyes darted between his two youngest siblings, they would always side together now more than ever without Klaus to drive the wedge between them. Now that they have returned to Mystic Falls, Elijah would have his work cut out for him between making sure they stayed out of trouble and now to keep an eye on Elena, who had just been added to their "do not trust" list.

"I highly doubt that sister, but I will keep an eye open if that will help."

Kol parted his lips to intervene, seeing Rebekah's expression and knowing she was going to say something derogatory about Elena and her brother's relationship, but a car pulling up in the driveway diverted their attention.  
Bonnie made good timing for someone being woken up at four in the morning.

* * *

They may have thought that they were being subtle, but Elena heard every single word they said from the shower. She couldn't hold Rebekah and Kol's feelings towards her against them, she understood…but the feeling still left a bitter taste in her mouth.  
She had been trapped in darkness, her body apparently pumped with enough vervain to knock out an elephant and as Kol had pointed out, why would they just leave her on their step?

_A warning._

A warning that they could get to them all, take each out and unable to stop it. Deep down, she hoped that Kol was wrong about her, and that she wasn't some sort of walking and talking threat. But she had been touched by dark magic, and with that she was beginning to lose trust in herself.

When Elena got out of the shower, she searched through Elijah's closet in hopes of finding something of her own, but only found a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt so she had to grab one of Elijah's rarely worn t-shirts from his drawer.  
The sound of a car door got her to pick up the pace and run downstairs, the sight of an ugly glare from Rebekah halted her in her tracks, but Elijah met to take her hand and lead her down the stairs to lead her away from his siblings, his untrusting, malicious, and dangerous siblings that would kill her to protect their own.

Bonnie was at the door hardly a moment later, greeted by Elijah, with Elena at his side, and invited her in instantly quickly explaining the situation.

The witch sat down on the couch, ignoring Elijah's two siblings, who were hovering over her now to see if they were right about Elena, and took her hands to lead her to sit across. Bonnie was tired, and wanted to make sure her friend was all right, just as much as Elijah was.

The witch, holding onto Elena tight, remained silent for a long, never-ending moment. Each passing second Kol would inch closer intrigued by her magic and from what Elena could sense about him…Bonnie Bennett in general.

"Back off." Bonnie grumbled through her teeth and Elena, who was on the receiving end of her power could feel it rubbing against her skin as it searched for the threat.

_What if I am the threat?_

Kol stepped away and the magic moved through her hands, traveling up her arms and Elena could see it's path, a light green glow like the liquid they put in your eye to see if you have a scratch on it. At first, she was afraid since rarely had magic had a positive effect on her, but this was Bonnie. If she couldn't trust Bonnie Bennett, the girl who dressed as the pink to her yellow ranger on Halloween when they were kids, she was screwed.

The lines traveled through her body, wrapping around her like a tribal tattoo while Bonnie kept her eyes closed and silent. Elena couldn't help but wonder if what she saw was different from what was on her skin. In her stress, and searching for any moment of comfort, Elena went to reach for Elijah's hand (also wanting to know if he believed that she was "tainted" as well) but as if on cue, Bonnie's eyes widened, freezing her hand in place with her power.

"You can only be connected to me." She declared in a rushed tone and Elena nodded, allowing Bonnie to take her hand again. After another moment of silence, the vampire watched in fear as the trail of power slithering through her body moved up her collarbone and most likely covering her entire face.  
Elena was sure the cycle was complete when she was suddenly at a warm sense of peace, the comforting feeling of Bonnie's magic was embracing her, wrapping her in a veil and making her feel light and airy. She felt…strangely perfect.

"How do you feel?" Bonnie was watching her intently, searching or any sign of an evil presence as Elena presumed.

"I feel great." Elena had repeated the answer in her mind three times before speaking, sure she was about to be judged by each of her peers, maybe even Elijah, who she knew had promised his siblings to keep his eye on her 'just in case'. Slowly, her eyes scanned her audience. Rebekah looked irate (as usual) and Kol seemed dangerously curious while both Bonnie and Elijah seemed happily relieved.

"She seems fine to me, I don't see any dark magic on her." The witch was talking to Elijah now, who was too busy passing a pleasuring glowing smile towards his brother and sister.

"Thank you Bonnie." Elena gave her friend a smile, and took Elijah's hand in hers, glad at least he believed her.

Being so early in the morning, Bonnie had to leave for class, but Elena made sure to share coffee with her friend before she had to run off.  
Rebekah and Kol and gone off to unpack from their own travels (which when Kol offered to share stories of, Elijah declined for 'Elena's sake' with a promise of maybe later) leaving the oldest Original with Elena alone in the Mikaelson Manor.

"I apologize for that Elena…" Elijah began, the first moment he finally had to speak with her alone, "Rebekah and Kol are…"

"Protective," he finished pouring herself another cup of coffee, "I know." It's not like she could blame them.

Finally, she had the chance to tell Elijah what happened, avoiding the subject before since his siblings would write it off as an excuse from some inner demon or another ridiculous concept. "They told me …it was a warning."

"What do you mean?" Elijah questioned, confusion clouding his gaze as he looked at her over the rim of his cup of tea.

"They took me just to prove a point, that they can get to any of us without anyone realizing…"

"Who told you this? Who are…they?"

Elena shrugged, she hadn't recognized the voice, even though they seemed to know her so well, that didn't help her confidence in the matter of her "loyalties" all that much either. "Whoever it was hates us." She paused and reached across the table to touch his knuckle, sending Elijah into the empty abyss that she was trapped in, in surprise, he looked up for her to see the blackness taking over his eyes like deep onyx stones as he watched in his mind, and heard the things that she was told. It was the only way she could show him so that he could truly understand what happened to her and that maybe he could trust her.

She was afraid, and while in the past experiences she had been nervous or anxious, knowing now just how vulnerable she was, how touchable they were, this was new…this was worse.  
She didn't want to be alone.

"Of course Elena."

She hadn't asked for anything or sent him a thought, but she knew what he was responding to. The feeling, the need and desire to have him by her side, the "safety in numbers" theory held strong to her and it was the only thing that could help.

It may have been a selfish thing for him to want, but it had started after he left when she realized how badly she needed him by her side and that feeling only grew within the past two days since his return, and lastly this new pending and mysterious threat worried her.

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he nearly laughed at the insignificance of the question, "Elena, I don't want you to feel like you are in danger, but I also don't want you leaving Jeremy. We can leave now if you would like and I can have some things brought over."

Usually, the subject of cohabitation was a rigid one, even for them since Elijah so vehemently fought the idea stating he wanted her to keep at a normal life if at all possible. Elena hadn't fought it at the time, thinking he just wanted to take things slow (even though their vacation had been a step faster than expected for anyone). After all Elijah was a one thousand year old vampire, time moved differently for him, he was naturally slow moving as an hour could go by in a minute without any effect on him, so being together now for a year it was still so new to him.

Now that their mind was working as one though, it seemed that things had changed drastically, and Elena was not about to fight that. The conversation barely needed to happen, all turned out to be was just knowing what the other wanted.

* * *

**I don't really have much to say about this chapter lol. I'm just glad to have Kol and Rebekah back and we will see if/what kind of trouble they will stir up in the future ;) I hope you enjoyed!**

**Reviews are always nice :)  
**


	39. Hiding in the Light

_**This chapter is significantly lighter than the others, I think it is necessary. The text below is a poem by the accredited author, in this poem it is "guessed" that this is the description of a town's reaction to a solar eclipse.  
This chapter is largely based on a flashback from Elena/Elijah's travels over the last year. They lightly parallel each other with the present time.  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter Ten  
Hiding in the Light**_

_Nothing there is beyond hope  
Nothing that can be sworn impossible  
Nothing wonderful, since Zeus  
Father of the Olympians  
made night from mid-day  
hiding the light of the shining sun  
and sore fear came upon men  
-Archilochus_

_ On the flight to Paris, Elijah armed Elena with a French dictionary so she could at least not go into the foreign country completely blind. It was hopeless, even he knew, but why not give it a shot?_

_Elena wasn't sure what to expect when they landed, having only seen pictures in travel books of the Eiffel Tower, but still as they left the airport, Elena gasped.  
France was beautiful; the air was fresher than Japan, their previous venture, and even in the airport as they waited for Elijah's car, the people around her felt different. There was no bustling, angry yelling in a language she didn't understand. It was wonderful. _

_ "Where are we staying?" Elena asked out of curiosity, she peered out the window as Elijah drove through the streets of Paris in awe. It was early morning (but late at night to her brain)so the streets were quiet, vendors were just coming out with their produce and even from the car, Elena could smell the fresh bread baking in the oven of a nearby restaurant. It made her crave human food, a rare, yet welcomed feeling._

_There were so many things she could do to start the day, and as they drove she was making a mental checklist, and it was a good thing that vampires didn't get jet lag._

"_I chose a hotel close to the Eiffel Tower." He replied cryptically while fumbling with the radio, a habit he had formed recently when he was trying to avoid spoiling something, which only made his counterpart more curious._

"_Of course you did." She smiled, taking his free hand in hers as they pulled into a long winding path of the large gallant hotel he had chosen. "Wow…" Elena breathed as Elijah pulled up to the valet, and he chuckled, placing a gossamer kiss on her knuckle before getting out to open the door for her._

"_Are you ready?" he looked to her with his eyebrows raised and an amused smile. She was still in awe of the new surroundings, taking in the culture, the people, the taste of everything just by looking at it. It was initially overwhelming, but she was quickly adjusting._

"_As ready as you are." She was thankful for the flats she decided to wear since, even though vampires didn't feel levels of pain, she could feel the irritation from wearing heels for too long, and flats were easy to slip off in a bind._

_Elijah politely thanked the tall blonde man in the red jacket, and handed him a bill that Elena only recognized as foreign currency (and by the look on the man's face as he grinned, it was a large bill), before leading her through the large golden doors into the shining atrium filled with artistic décor and luscious green foliage to the concierge desk._

_Still trapped in amazement, the vampire drifted to the walls, breaking off of Elijah's hand and began to look at the art while he checked in. Her hands, much more sensitive to certain textures than most humans, grazed the walls, each bump in the rocky plaster seemed to tell its own story of the building's past inhabitants. It was a wonderful thing about Europe so far, the culture was much grander than back home in America, especially Virginia where most of what she learned was of the Civil War. _

_She was lost in thought when she felt two powerful hands grasp her shoulders and lips touch into her hair._

"_Elijah Mikaelson." She teased his name, leaning back into his suit (feeling under dressed in her yoga pants and sweatshirt) "Is this public display of affection I am receiving?" she nuzzled into his hand with a low purr and she could feel his elation from his skin._

"_Well Elena, this is Paris." He placed a light kiss behind her ear, turning her waist towards him, "Come on," he flashed the key card, and slipped an extra one into her sweatshirt pocket, "Off we go."_

_ Elena had a feeling she was already going to be in for a surprise when they needed to use the keycard to get to their floor. Usually, as per her request, they stayed in decent rooms, or ones that she could already afford on her own ("You aren't my caretaker, or my sugar daddy" she would constantly joke, but he never understood the reference), nothing too expensive and usually to control that, Elena would choose the hotel, but this time Elijah took care of it before saying anything to her about it. _

"_What did you do? Take the entire floor?" she joked, glad that they had the elevator to themselves so she could kiss his shoulder (the public affection was rare for them, they usually kept everything for behind closed doors) and curl against him, but Elijah's light snicker was discomforting. This time around, he definitely ignored her previous preferences to where they stayed._

"_I guess you could say that."_

_The elevator door opened to a set of large, black double doors, which clicked open with a second slide of the key card to reveal a large suite that could have easily been mistaken for a lavish apartment, modernized with wondrous furniture and art. "You really went all out didn't you?" Elena questioned, pulling him inside as she spun around him in the living room and throwing herself on the leather couch as Elijah moved the trolley with their belongings down the marble tiled hallway and Elena hopped up to follow him to the bedroom. _

"_Holy crap." Her eyes darted around the room, skipping over the king sized bed to fall first on the large bay window overlooking the sun sparkling over the Paris skyline.  
She could see it, the Eiffel Tower was right in her grasp._

"_Elijah this is…" she couldn't get the words out, 'too much' came to mind first, but there were so many other emotions swirling around in her brain that her mouth just wouldn't cooperate. Instead, she moved to the window to touch the chilling glass with the tips of her fingers, "Everything is so…" she tried again and whipped around to face him, mirroring his smile with her own new found bliss._

_She had been so entranced by the view that she wasn't even able to turn against him when he approached. She didn't have to look out to see the city limits, with him; life was like a painting for them to share, so none of it mattered. "How long will we stay?" she finally formed words to speak, realizing that he really was there in front of her and it wasn't just a daze._

"_However long you want." His reply was quick and soft as his hands found themselves a home on her waist, making her body hum in content. _

"_You shouldn't say things like that, Elijah." she chastised him, watching the people walking down the leaf trodden street, "A fool may take you seriously."_

_She swayed her hips as she faced away from him, but reached her hand above her head to hold the back of his head with a childish smile._

"_Are you a fool, Elena?" swinging her back to face him, he used her chin to lift her lips to his and kissed her allowing them to linger together for a moment until she pulled away. _

"_I'm entitled to have foolish tendencies," tangling his hair between her fingers, Elena mocked his mannerisms with a smug grin, "I didn't have a thousand years to build up that impenetrable resolve." She tilted her head to the side and brushed her lips against his jawline before pushing up onto her toes to rub her nose against his. _

"_Impenetrable resolve?" he gasped, and in theory proving her deduction wrong, it was just them now and while it had taken some prying he did reveal some layers over time._

"_Close enough." She returned with doe eyes, looking to the bed. "So…what do we do first?"_

* * *

"Of course sister, you know I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Elena's eyes flitted open to the sound of Elijah's hushed, sarcastic tone outside of her (their? It had been a week and still so new) bedroom door. Instinctually, she wrapped around the blanket, allowing it's silk to shift over her skin while she rolled onto her back.

Elena heard his phone shut, and she closed her eyes at the sound of the door opening.

"Elena?" she heard him round the bed to kneel at her side, "I know you are awake."

Shutting her eyes tighter, Elena grinned, turning onto her side to open one eye at him. "Was that Rebekah?" she couldn't help but groan, "What did she want?"

Brushing the hair from her face, toying with the small knot that had formed while she slept, Elijah pulled her to sit up. "Rebekah has decided that she wants to throw a…birthday…ball." Even he looked stressed to say it, and Elena remembered from personal experiences just how into party preparations his sister could get (rivaling with Caroline). But it didn't help Elena to wonder why she would want a ball with gowns and classical music, when people of her "age" preferred DJs with loud techno music and a dance floor, but she didn't question the queen bee's intentions.

"A ball?" she couldn't help but ask with disdain. "That didn't really work out the first time…" shielding her eyes from the reflective light of her ring, Elena did a quick look out to see the weather outside. Winter was beginning to pass, but there was still a light layer of frost on her window. "I mean…remember your mother trying to kill all of her children? Using my blood to do it?" _You locking me in a cave underground with your insane sister?_

"I try not to dig too much into Rebekah's intentions, Elena." He replied coolly, "All I know is that by the end of this week every single vampire that my sister has ever met will be in the same room as everyone in the town of Mystic Falls."

With a gulp, Elena bunched up the blankets even closer to her, "Why do I have a feeling that we will never have one relaxing event in this town?" She was hoping that Elijah was going to pinch her and it turned out that it was all a dream, but she would never be so lucky. She couldn't blame Rebekah (even though she wanted to) and her family for all of the mishaps lately, and in the past, but it would be nice to have one, normal, dance, festival or experience, especially now that she would be able to enjoy them with Elijah.

"Because this is Mystic Falls, and everything terrible happens here." He tried to make light of the truth, but the Original's tone was unable to pass as joking.

Elena grumbled, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed so that Elijah's shoulders graced her thighs and held his face in her hands. "This is not what I wanted to wake up to today."

"Well, what did you want to wake up to? Maybe we can…start over?" his hand grazed up the smooth skin of her ankle, traveling under the blanket to slide under her nightgown with a sly grin.

"Maybe that would be a good plan." She leaned in for a kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth to dance with his as she pushed him against the floor to set herself on top of him, firmly planting her knees at his sides. "Yeah…" she cooed into his ear before lowering her lips to his jawline, tracing its prominence while her fingers wrapped into his hair. "This is how the morning should have started."

Elijah never said much, he was never one for pillow talk (on most days) and this was no different as he only smiled, his hands using-and abusing- all of the power in the world to make her forget about Rebekah and her constant need for dramatics, all while slithering up her skin, hiking the pink laced gown above her hips to expose her lower half. Elena arched her hips gently over his already pressured length (felt clearly through the thin cloth of his pajama pants) and lightly grazed her blunt teeth over his chest while pressing her thumbs into the crease of his hips as she pulled down his pants without much care.

She could hear him catch his breath and prepared for what always followed and leaned in to the predicted tumble and fell towards the direction Elijah had switched into, having her back slammed against the carpet.  
Wrapping her arms tight around his waist, Elena pulled him against her tight between her thighs so he pressed against her exposed skin. She let out a soft sound, a gasp mixed with a surprised moan, as his hand grazed her nub, bringing her to turn into him.

Elijah nipped onto her neck, tugging at the skin, his free hand entwining her fingers, holding her taut to the side. He enjoyed taking control over her, and most of the time she would allow him to, as giving in to whatever Elijah wanted or needed gave her a certain level of leverage that she enjoyed having as well. It was like a game of cat and mouse, and she would always get him back at another time.

His fingers gripped her skin with a pinch motivating the squeal to escape her mouth as it tickled, but alongside with another tune. The sound was high pitched and irritating, and sent a sharp pain down her side from her ears. "Stupid phone." She growled, moving to grab it, but Elijah was one step ahead of her, snatching it off of the dresser to toss it to her.

"Caroline!" Elena faked her 'happy to hear from you' voice as Elijah (skilled in the art of silence, even to another vampire) teased her neck with his teeth, continuing to hold on to her inner thigh, "What's up?"

"Elena, we have a problem!"

Even she felt Elijah's(who was otherwise preoccupied enjoying each curve) ears prick at Caroline's panicked tone on the other end, but Elena knew that with her friend, this could mean anything but was too busy enjoying each teasing moment of attention that Elijah was paying to her veins.

"Really Caroline? And what is that?" she replied listlessly, trying her best to ignore where each of Elijah's hands moved, one skating dangerously close to her inner core, gliding gently through her folds and making her legs twitch in anticipation.

"Rebekah is having a freakin party at the end of the week and me and Bonnie have nothing to wear!"

_Really?_

She could feel Elijah tense as he stifled a laugh, tugging at her earlobe just at the same time as a finger slipped inside of her. "Yeah…" Elena let out a long, drawn out sigh as she tried to push Elijah away but he used his free hand to snap her wrist back to the floor, "What's your point?" She was a lot better at keeping quiet than she originally thought.

She may have barely heard what her friend was actually saying, but words were not registering into full sentences.

"What did you do? Just roll out of bed?"

Just as Elena went to answer, Elijah's mouth was quietly over hers to prevent her from answering her friend, she wanted to kiss him back (she wanted much more than a kiss right now, but she was sure Caroline knew something more than just her 'rolling out of bed' was going on) but instead regretfully pushed him away, finally gaining the higher ground. "Something like that."

Caroline could hear her tone, and knew she was bothered by something of course, but wouldn't ask until she was alone at least. She managed to wrangle over him to sit triumphantly on top of him and allowed her expression to show it. Her world, though behind closed doors may have seemed perfect (because really to her it was…behind the closed doors) didn't stand still while the rest of the world ran into a pointless panic over dresses or dance moves, it was something she had to keep in mind.

"Well then get dressed, we are on our way to pick you up."

Sometimes, the fact that Caroline was blissfully ignorant to what was around her was a gift, and equally a curse as she was convinced that Bonnie would have gotten the hint, but it was a quality Elena had grown to love.

Elena went to speak, to say anything in contrast to what her friend had planned, but the line died on the other end.

"Enjoy dress shopping." Elijah teased, sitting up to be at her level and tugged at her waist, "Something tells me though, that your current attire isn't appropriate."

"Not funny," Elena lamented, falling against him hopelessly. "Maybe I can get a doctor's note to get away with blowing this off? Maybe…and excuse for…I don't know, being me?"

She buried her face into his shoulder blade, not wanting to move as Elijah brushed his lips against her hair again before standing up and pulling her up with him. "Go get ready, I have a few things I need to take care of anyway."

* * *

_ "Is this all right?"_

_Elena stepped out into the living room and twirled slowly, wearing a royal blue empire waist dress, tied in the center with a sequined ribbon to a bow, with a v-neck drop. The dress flowed to her knees and just bordered the seasonal acceptance for the fall. She matched the dress with silver gladiator heels that crossed over her ankles (though they weren't the most comfortable.). The feeling itself was strange, she had dressed up for all sorts of events back in Mystic Falls, but this time it felt different, this time she was in another land-a land where real stories started._

"_Beautiful would be an understatement, Elena." Elijah met her halfway to take her hand and bring it up to his lips, and she was sure that she had blushed. Next to Elijah, dressed in his dark suit, pressed to perfection that probably cost more than her house back home, she felt like a street urchin (yet somehow his words would make her feel like a princess). _

"_You still haven't told me where we are going." She complained, moving her curls off of her shoulder, the rest of her hair, held back by a blue flower, rolled down her back. _

"_That is because it is a surprise." He returned quickly, ignoring her complain and led her towards the door._

_It was too early for dinner, and she knew Elijah's habits by now, if he were to reserve seats for a show it would be at night…but then again, for someone who could read his mind, he was excellent at surprises…when he tried to be._

"_Well…can you give me a hint?" she latched closer to him by his elbow as they departed from the elevator._

"_Nope." He answered, waiting until he took his keys from the valet, "How about lunch first?" Elena, feeling no other choice but to agree, nodded by the time she slipped into the car, the leather seats cool against her skin._

_ Choosing a restaurant right beneath the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Elijah let her to a private (or as private as they could get) table outside, a bottle of wine already waiting._

"_Maybe I should have studied a bit more French on the plane…" she scrunched her nose as she twisted the menu in each direction to try and decipher it. "I think I'll just have a salad." A salad was easy, and pretty basic she wouldn't have to worry about being asked any questions, at least none that Elijah could answer for her._

_While waiting for their food, and all the way through lunch, they kept to casual small talk, something that most couples Elena observed, had hated (taking it as a sign for the end of their relationship), both Elena and Elijah enjoyed it. The way Elijah spoke, no matter how terrible the weather was, or how devastating the disaster in another country had been, he always spoke without missing a piece of beauty or eloquence. While this may have exaggerated some issues (making her feel like the rain was pouring down, while really it was bright in the sky) his tone was captivating._

_It was that easy for her to love him, and the thought that people didn't have this with the one they were with was disconcerting, making her wonder of their choices. _

_When Elena's salad arrived, along with some mystery pasta that Elijah had ordered (that he insisted she try), she munched quietly, taking in the full effect of the beautiful city as it burned permanently into her senses. Being a vampire meant death and destruction along your path, but at that moment Elena was thankful, humans couldn't see the world the way she saw it right at that moment. It would have been overwhelming to her just over a year ago, even now she wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she had one thing most vampires didn't. She was able to latch onto the mind of one of the most collected man's mind._

"_Are you all right?" Elijah poured her a glass of wine as he looked to her with concern shadowing his eyes._

"_Of course! This is just all so perfect. I can't believe that we've been here for almost a week." Elena grinned, taking a sip of her wine. In all of the darkness she had seen over the past few years, ironically it was the man who brought her death twice that was able to show her the light._

"_Well, we still have so much to do." He returned with a corner wedged smile, raising his glass and Elena followed suit._

"_To…the world." She toasted, and Elijah hesitated a moment before meeting her glass and finished with;_

"_To us."_

_Words of love, care and devotion were rarely shared between them, as the need was never there. It was the simplicity of their relationship that made them unshakable. "To us" held a much deeper meaning than it would to anyone else speaking the words, as they sang in finality and stability. _

* * *

"What about this one?" Bonnie stepped out of the dressing room in a deep emerald green gown with a plunging neckline held together by a corset design front to her waist, flowing down to the floor as it hugged her curves. The color blended effortlessly with her ebony skin and deep chocolate eyes. She looked stunning.

"Perfect!" Elena clapped as Bonnie spun around to show it off.

"You should straighten your hair so it looks longer," Caroline offered, coming out of the next dressing room stall wearing a strapless light purple gown with a ballroom skirt. The bodice was tied in a darker colored ribbon sash along with the corset that accentuated all of the proper assets.

She may as well have come out with a crown; Caroline Forbes loved nothing more than to steal the show, regardless, both of Elena's friends looked perfect.

As Bonnie and Caroline went back and forth about each other's dresses, Elena looked around the shop indecisively going through every single color of the rainbow. Her last dress had been excessive maybe, but she loved it and she considered going with something bright, maybe a yellow or orange, but realized that with everything going on (still the reigning drama magnet champion) she decided on a darker or neutral color choice.

"You should go for the black one." A familiar, echoing voice drawled from behind her, "That way you have one more way to be like me."

Spinning around like there was a snap at her heels, a surging ice stinging through her veins, Elena faced herself, the first doppelganger from Tatia Petrova. "Katherine." The younger vampire stepped back , her voice just low enough so that Caroline couldn't hear. "What are you doing here?"

Even for a vampire, Katherine Pierce was intimidating. She was wildly methodical and seemingly out of control, but most importantly she was a danger to those Elena loved.

"I came to visit my favorite ancestor of course." She teased, placing a strangely flirtatious hand on her face. "Gross. You reek of Original." Slapping her hand away, Elena narrowed her eyes, "And your stink of a brothel." Suddenly, it was like the vampire gall had come out to play again. She had no reason to be intimidated by Katherine. "Someone is a bit touchy now that they are a vampire…" Katherine cooed, taking a step back. "But now eternally boring." A low growl formed in her throat to challenge the opposing vampire, but Caroline appeared next to her friend with Bonnie close in tow.

"I think you need to leave." The blonde placed a hand on Elena's shoulder to calm her as Bonnie took her other side, causing a flush of power to touch her skin.

"You aren't welcome in Mystic Falls Katherine." The witch held a powerful ground, proving to be just as formidable as her two vampire friends and Katherine-while dangerous- was too smart to challenge two vampires and a powerful witch in the middle of a dress hop. No, and as the much older vampire disappeared Elena knew she would return with a vicious and vindictive plan.

* * *

_"So…now what do we do?" Elena straightened her dress after finishing her lunch, "Since you seem to have the day planned."_

_Passing the waiter a bill, Elijah walked to her side, checking his watch for the time. "Come on." He pointed across the street, "I have a surprise for you."_ _Following the direction of his finger, Elena looked up to the Eiffel Tower, grasping his hand in anticipation. Always having plans ahead of plans ahead of plans, Elena usually caught onto any potential surprises in the much earlier stages of his preparation, this time he seemed to be multiple steps ahead._

_Picking up the pace, Elijah pulled Elena across the street to the entrance of one of the most beautiful monuments in the world. "Wait!" she cried out as they passed through the crowd of tourists who seemed to be exiting rather than waiting in line to get in. "Why is everyone leaving?"_

_Ignoring her, Elijah slid through the main gate, passing a nod to the two security officers as they entered. He put his finger to his lips instead with a smile, "I may have had to put in a request or two."_ _This new spontaneous Elijah was strange, yet welcoming and there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes that brought on Elena's excitement even more._

"_Where are we going?" she could help but ask, expecting him to return with something simple like 'the Eiffel Tower, Elena, where else?' but he ignored her again as she ran her hands over the walls. The building was completely empty, barren even, and her footsteps echoed down the halls._

"_Right…"he finally spoke, stopping at a hatch near the emergency stairwell, "Here."_ _Elena stopped, nearly crashing into him, and looked around confused, expecting to see security bombarding them at any moment, and she jumped at the sound of the lock breaking._

"_Elijah, what are you doing?" she laughed, touching his arm as he grabbed onto the ladder. "Aren't I supposed to be doing stuff like this? You know...reckless?"_

_Taking her hand, he guided her towards the ladder, "It's a little difficult to do something more in my nature, when you are constantly expecting it Elena…besides, I doubt you will regret it." His voice was overly confident which concerned Elena slightly, and he sensed this reservation, "Now please, Elena…after you."_ _Looking down at her dress, she urged him forward, suddenly feeling self-conscious, and Elijah understood without arguing and began to climb._ _Looking around and taking one last look around her, Elena grabbed onto the cool metal ladder and quickly followed him up._

_ She felt like she was sneaking back into her home again as a teenager when she would meet up with Matt, but this was…a little different. At first, Elena didn't want to look around, afraid that she would get dizzy and plummet to the ground, but found no logical reason to her fear and took in the view. It was like the city-bright in the softened afternoon sunlight- was calling to her. The little buildings, the birds flying overhead, it was a euphoric state of bliss and had Elijah not already been ahead of her, she would have sat back onto the bar to watch it all day._ _Besides…they were already so close to the top. _ _After a few more minutes of climbing (when really, Elena was sure they could have jumped, but maybe Elijah didn't want to risk it? Sometimes with him, she had no idea) Elijah stopped on a workman's platform that was set dangerously close to the top of the tower and pulled a frigid Elena up to join him._ _Holding onto the edge of the platform for dear life, Elena plastered herself against the bars while sitting down to allow her legs to hang over, Elijah sitting next to her. At first, she found the new height making her unable to enjoy the view. _

_"So…you had the entire Eiffel Tower shut down so you can push me off of the top?" she was trying to kid with him, but her voice came out meek and shaky, she couldn't help but jump at the first gust of wind that came through her way, fearing it would send her spiraling to her death (or very…very hurt). "I thought we were closer than that."_

"_You are safe Elena." He chuckled, taking her hand to the bar in front of her, "Enjoy the view while you can."_ _She shifted to face him, knowing from his tone that he was leaving something out, "So what's the occasion?" she moved closer to him, for comfort and stability and placed her hand on his leg, a way to get him to spill this "surprise"._

_Elijah faced her, moving to mold his body with hers and looked to her in a disjointed manner, yet one more look she had gotten used to over their time together when he was hiding something-but gave a sly smile._ "_Well...I know a lot of vampires prefer to…mourn their deaths," he was choosing his words carefully, as if pulling them from the air as they flew overhead, thinking as though one slip up would send her off the edge (figuratively and literally). "We were on a plane for thirteen hours during the official day, but I think today we should mark the year."_

_Looking to him wistfully, Elena didn't know if she should laugh, smile, or cry. Even he seemed lost in thought, back and forth between those shared emotions. She knew he didn't want to celebrate her death (though he did benefit greatly) per se, but she could see his own reservations._ "_I don't want you to think that I am not forever grateful, you alone saved my family." He sounded somber, and Elena had to graze her hand on his cheek to feel that connection again. His blood flowed deep within her veins, so she had never thought to regret that decision. In fact, initially he had given her the impression he hated himself for it._

"_You don't have to do that. You are here, with me…so I think I came out on top."_ _Elijah shook his head modestly in disagreement, allowing her touch to brush against his skin. _

_"I don't think you understand." He told her, wrapping an arm around her to pull her even closer, "I want this to be commemorated as the anniversary for when you did something more honorable than anything I have ever seen someone do before. My family has done you no favors Elena. We owed you nothing."_ _He no longer seemed lost in thought, in fact everything seemed to clear in his eyes as he spoke of his admiration for her, which brought Elena into a lighter mood, one more understanding than at first._

"_No, Elijah. I do understand. I don't mourn my death. I thought that I would, I went through phases of hatred and putting the blame on others, but I'm okay, and I regret nothing." She gave him the warmest smile she could muster, convincing of how she felt, and rested her head onto his shoulder to look down at the crowd of people gathering at the base of the Eiffel Tower._ "_What's going on down there?" she leaned forward slightly, hoping not to lose her shoes, to look closer. The people were no longer rushing around, going to shops on the street, they were all gathered in the crowd, even the streets were void of cars as drivers pulled over and got out. "Do they see us?"_

_Elijah shook his head and laughed, kissing the top of her head, "Oh right, I forgot to tell you __why__ I that today was most important."_ _He pointed up to the sky as everything became shadowed into dimming darkness, a black orb slowly moving over the sun shadowed as a blanket over the beautiful city that Elena had quickly grown to love. _ "_A solar eclipse!" she gasped, grabbing onto his hand in surprise._ "_I found it…symbolically appropriate to mark the day here, while watching the moon's transition over the sun, rather than being cooped up in an airplane the entire time." _

_His fingers twisted gently in her hair and his other hand was being held by hers and she lifted her to face him. _ "_This is…Elijah, this is so perfect." What else could she say? He had shut down the Eiffel Tower just so that they could have the best view of a major event, and a man should be judged by his actions, shouldn't they? She was stunned._

"_They say that ancient civilizations, when faced with the total solar eclipse, would fight it, all men-whether in the midst of battle or arguing over land-they would bare arms together and work as one to fight an unseen evil. Wars that waged for years ended because the people found a common ground, an understand of who they were…such small entities surrounded by something so much bigger." He seemed to drift off again in his thought , even as he smiled, looking out onto the city skyline as it became taken over by the darkness. "This understanding of being handed something dangerous and inherently evil, yet instead of running, __doing__ something about it . To them, they always won…because the sun would return from the darkness, giving them the light again."_

_Elijah Mikaelson had surely seen many solar eclipses in his time, so from this, he was speaking from experiences over myth._ _The beauty and fear the eclipse must have brought to those who didn't understand, seemed incomparable to what she had gone through, yet somehow Elijah had made a connection far deeper than just "the sun was covered…and now it isn't." His intricately woven words mended the two like they belonged._

_To Elijah, Elena was the solar eclipse, the light shrouded in darkness, fighting against it because she __can__, not seeing what she stepped into. She was handed the curse of the doppelganger and used it to fight against those who stood in her way, even if they were far stronger than she. She had to blink back the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes, everything had become a new level of overwhelming. _ _She wasn't saddened, in fact quite the opposite as Elijah's deliverance had been so powerful and heartwarming. "I don't deserve this." She pressed her forehead against his, breathing in everything she could selfishly take from him, regardless of her admittance. _

"_Elena, you deserve so much more than I could ever give you. You need to understand that." Gracing her arms with his own touch, he allowed their lips to meet as Paris became entirely enveloped in the darkness, covering them and the contact sent a spark through her senses, wanting more, but nothing more than he could deliver._ _This was how they worked._ _She couldn't stop the one tear from crawling out, slipping down her cheek, but in a way, she was relieved at the release of emotion. For once, this was not a tear of sadness, but out of pure happiness and the comfort that…maybe she could learn to deserve it. _

* * *

Wrapped tight in a black silk robe, Elena brushed her hair in front of the vanity mirror without any hope. She had been so frustrated from Katherine's abrupt appearance, and in turn, had lost her will to buy a dress and went straight back to her empty home until later that night.

"Did you pick out a dress?" In the reflection of the mirror, Elena smiled to Elijah, who was standing in the doorway.

"No…" she puckered her lips into a pout, "I got…frustrated and left." Leaving Katherine out of the conversation was smart for now. Elijah had been lost in his own world of witchcraft for the past week, and with Alma's death, the spell they had cast on her, Katherine would only add one more concern, and besides...she would avoid him like the plague if she could.

This was just petty drama-Katherine Pierce style- and she wouldn't let it get to her.

"Did something happen?" he looked concerned, even in the room lit only by candles (Elena's own way of trying to reach her "zen" place) while he approached.

"Nothing important." She had to keep him out of her head, so she thought, until she realized he was leaving her mind at peace. Elijah knew she would tell him if it was important (though their past experiences consistently said otherwise).

"Well, I guess it won't be selfish of me to be pleased by your indecisiveness for once?" standing behind her, Elijah rested his hands on her shoulders, pulling her hair to her back as he massaged them.

"What do you mean?" leaning her back against him, she looked up to his eyes.

"I got you something, maybe you could allow it to persuade your choice of dress? I know you don't want to go to this…but I hope you will take this as a token of my appreciation." She parted her lips to respond, tell him it was unnecessary for any gifts, but before she could say anything, he slipped into his coat pocket to take out a long box, inside a silver chain that he slipped around her neck and clasp it under her hair.

With a quiet gasp, Elena traced the heart shaped pendant, formed by diamond traced tendrils, tenderly with the tips of her fingers. In the center of the silver bonds set a large red stone that reflected the candle light in the mirror. "Elijah is this…is this a ruby?"

He nodded carelessly, braiding a small set of strands. "I found it fitting. I imagine red being more your color," he paused a moment, tracing her jawline with the back of his hand. "So Elena, tell me, what is on your mind? Did you get an unexpected visit today?"

Overwhelmed with the necklace, it's pendant fitting perfectly between her bones, Elena drifted back out of the shine to turn and face him. "How did you know about Katherine?"

A sly grin crossed Elijah's lips as he raised an eyebrow, catching her right where he wanted. "I didn't…until now. When did Katerina return?" He seemed angered, but Elena quickly shook her head. "I don't know, but she didn't…do anything, it's just her existence pisses me off." She sighed listlessly, thinking of how many ways she hated the older vampire.

"And that is all?"

"Yeah…that and I was thinking about Paris…" she laid her head against his hip bone, and nuzzled into him affectionately while he stroked the back of her head.

"Well, Katerina must have really gotten to you then, because the way I remember France…that frown does not belong."

Elena shook her head again, and kissed the bone as she pulled him closer. "No of course not, but I just want to enjoy the moment while I think of the ways I can thank you for this necklace…Can't we talk about that tomorrow?"

Elijah lifted her to her feet, pulling her body against his and kissed her on the forehead, "Well…I do remember that part of Paris."

* * *

**Reviews are always sweet :)**


	40. The Devil is Laughing

**Okay, serious forewarning, this chapter is ridiculously long.  
You should review though :)**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Devil is Laughing**

Ball gowns, colored lights shining down on onto the floor, Elena's eyes searched wide as they entered the Mikaelson home for the first time since Elijah had moved in with her. The last time she was here-like this- she carried death on both of her arms in the form of the Salvatores (so her mother-Isobel- had told her), this time around she walked in with an Original vampire on her side.

Though now, she wouldn't betray him.

_ "So." Stepping out of her bedroom into the hallway, Elena spun once before Elijah, "What do you think?"_

_It had taken hours of days searching for the perfect dress to match the ruby necklace that he had given her. Pure red silk hugged tight around her curves until it flared out closer to the floor from the black sash tied to a loose bow on her back. The tails, thinly embroidered in a white design, fell to the back of her knees. _

_"I have no words." Though a patient man, Elena could see he had been edging towards the door to see her. _

_Brushing a hand over her bare shoulder, as if afraid to touch her, he wrapped a tight curl around his finger with an elated smile, his other hand fixed the ruby heart necklace so that it laid perfectly above her breasts._

_With a sigh, Elena stepped back from him to take a deep breath and brush down her dress to her shoes and took in Elijah before her. He always wore a suit, so seeing him in a tux shouldn't have made her weak, but no matter what, he always seemed like royalty. _

_"Rebekah could have had any other kind of party…why does it have to be a ball?" Didn't they have enough gala events in Mystic Falls?_

_She took his hand in hers, following one step behind him to the stairs. Her ears picked up the sounds of Jeremy, Matt and Tyler all getting ready in her brother's bedroom. The entire town would be there._

_"Rebekah…as much as I love her…knows that more people in this town will come to her party this way, and unfortunately she values quantity over quality."_

_Sounded a lot like Klaus to her._

* * *

Elena hadn't expected Elijah to stay by her side, when he walked off to talk to vampires he knew from the past she kept close to the wall, eyeing her surroundings as always. Being in this house still made her uncomfortable, not in the same way as it used to but now as she watched, Elena could see everything so differently from the last time. The wait staff moved like zombies, each drink offered like a forced muscle, mechanical robots to do as Rebekah ordered. She could see they were compelled, something that was missed the last time years ago, being a vampire changed things it seemed.

In a way, it disgusted her, taking away someone else's intent when the Mikaelson family could afford to pay seemed pointless. Humans weren't just toys.

"My sister enjoys taking advantage, Elena. Try not to think too deeply into it." Elijah came up being her and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her tighter to him. "I wasn't that different myself at one point so we can only hope for the best."

"Yeah, but how can you just accept this?" she thought of all the years his family had been together, something could change, something had to change.

"Elena," Elijah smirked, taking her hand and leading to a table. "When you spend one thousand years hoping that someone will change, and also trying to form yourself as well…there is a time where you have to know to let go."

Grabbing two glasses of wine off a caterer's tray, Elijah passed one to her as she nodded in agreement, though still not understanding, "Your blood won't be in this right?" he tried to joke, his dry humor a welcomed sound in a tough conversation, but she shook her head. She was lost in her own world, still watching the unfamiliar faces (mostly vampires) drift past her, each one giving her a knowing glance like they _knew_ she was the doppelganger. Elijah had turned away when they were approached by an old acquaintance of his and Elena searched for her friends. Damon, Stefan and Bonnie had all come together and were laughing with Caroline, Tyler and Matt on the other side of the room while Jeremy seemed trapped in a conversation with Kol.

Elena felt alone, all of her friends had each other, and while she was happy to have Elijah by her side, now that she was with him, she began to really feel as if she didn't belong, as though her new family was the Mikaelsons, she was one of them now.

Her gaze fell on the doors, large and golden in color, as they opened with a creak. Better late than never, two familiar faces arrived.

"Elijah…" she tugged lightly on his sleeve for his attention, "Look who got an invitation."

A simple suit, coupled with a short black dress entered the room, arms linked together like a puzzle piece. They looked impressive, even in the simplicity of their outfits, but still looked threatening.

"Regan…" Elijah growled her name under his breath like a vicious play thing, and Elena could see his nostrils flare, his anger building slowly.

"And Liam." Elena finished, watching the two, the warlock and the hunter entering into the nest. Elijah looked to Elena briefly at the mention of his name, the unrecognizable face. She could feel his internal struggle, one that Elena knew all too well. Elijah always kept such a strong front, but she could feel his memory of Alma inch over him as he focused his blame.

"Elijah?" she had to shake him back to attention, and placed a soft, calming hand on his cheek. "Are you all right?"

Curving his face into her hand, Elijah gave her a smile. "I apologize, I should have expected a hunter to show up where a hundred vampires decided to gather." His voice was flat, but remained as cool as ever, while passing a sly smile, though his distaste over said "gathering" was clear. He found his sister to be a fool.

From the corner of her eye, Elena saw Bonnie off to the side, speaking wildly with Kol now, (when the two had joined on the floor, she wasn't sure) the witch's eyes deadlocked onto Liam. The vampire shifted awkwardly on her feet to listen in, but the music was too loud, with too much other chatter to pick up anything relevant and all she could hear was her friend's voice rise.

Nothing could ever be simple, and just as she had predicted, there would be vampire drama.

Returning her focus back to Elijah, she pulled him closer, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Can we have ten minutes of 'us' time before jumping into the dramatics please?" she grumbled, placing a kiss against his chest, "Just ten minutes?"

Elijah chuckled softly, pressing her back by the shoulders, "Whatever you wish, Elena."

The orchestra played a calming tune, and Elena could feel the music sway through her body and for a moment, it was as if nothing else mattered. It was her and Elijah. The fact that the rest of Mystic Falls (plus some extra vampires) were in their company as well, wasn't that important.

Elena laced her fingers in his and pulled him into the center of the dance floor where the couple fell into the steps. "See?" her nails grazed the back of his head, knotting into his hair so she could pull him closer to her lips as she swayed her hips. "Ten minutes of torture because of Rebekah's party not vampire related. It can be done!"

Elijah pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her, for the moment, her mind blurred. These were moments that she missed, only spent while they were away from Mystic Falls. Deep down, Elena could tell he felt the same way too.  
Before they met, Elijah's goal was simple. Deliver the doppelganger, and kill the brother who took his family away. Somehow, along the way, things got complicated-messy- even though now it all seemed so pure.

"I didn't doubt you for a moment." He returned, but he still seemed hesitant to do so, dispelling that emotion by spinning her around, but keeping her close. It was as if letting her go too far would become detrimental to his health, though their bond was as strong as ever.

As they danced, Elena could see Rebekah, spinning around and laughing with a stranger, her happiness was poisonous, and a rarity for Elena to see. At first, she was blinded by Elijah's sister's laughter, but when her body crashed back into his, with an arm tight around her waist once again, pinching at the fabric of her dress, Elena felt like she was at home…even if it was for only ten minutes.

"Elijah…" she tried to keep her voice low, a pathetic attempt in a ballroom full of vampires, "I love you." As she trailed off with her sentence, lips brushing against his, "I wish we could have more than ten minutes of peace."

"Maybe we can." He swayed her off the floor as the song ended, the harp strumming beautifully with the sound of her heels clicking on the floor.

"Yeah." Elena pouted, "When Mystic Falls burns."

"Why would you say such a thing?" though she knew he couldn't blame her, they were still standing together in each other's arms, but closer to the stairs and keeping still. They may have seemed caught in conversation, but Elena's eyes were racing frantically. She had lost the witches and something seemed off. This was her life now, always on guard, protecting those she loved. Maybe she had been spoiled by their trip away, but Mystic Falls was no cage, not for her. Not anymore.

"Because…I think I want to leave." Take him and Jeremy, and just _go_.

It was the wrong time for that conversation and the wrong place, so quickly. She wished she could take it all back. "I'm sorry, Elijah. I didn't mean that." But she did, and he knew it.

"We can talk about it later," the back of his hand grazed her cheek, but Elena barely noticed.

Regan and Liam were still nowhere to be seen, which was fine, but Kol and Bonnie were missing as well, unseen among the crowd of people.

She didn't have to say anything about it, he knew what she was thinking and Elijah nodded, pointing to the stairs while Elena nudged to the bar. It was a silent conversation of "you go that way, I go this way" and went to find their targets.

* * *

When Elena first turned, Elijah was the one who taught her how to hunt, how to pick out the most likely victims-just in case- and though they both agreed her preferred choice would be blood bags, now though those skills came in handy.

She slid through the crowd, slipping a knife off of a tray, hiding it in the sash of her dress, Elena moved past the vampires (most-if not all, older than her) she remained alert, listening closely for a different thump of a heart. With all of the humans in the mix of supernatural, she couldn't pin point the right sound.

Finding a clearing, the vampire could hear the sound of a door closing and her eyes darted around before falling on the door that led to the rest of the house. She knew it wasn't a good idea, a mouse walking right into a trap, but something told her to follow regardless.

She shut the door and entered the eerie hallway, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. It was dark and dreary, so void of emotion for just a hallway in a rich home as this, though it looked as if no one lived there, like most of the mansion besides the bedrooms and Elijah's study.  
Each step taken with care, Elena scurried down, not getting far until she picked up the scent of a woman's perfume, matched with a scent of blood.

"Having him on your arm makes you look so much less…boring." The mirrored drawl spelled out words behind her, and Elena shot around to face Katherine, once again. "I never thought it would be possible."

Her hand on her hip, she wore a long midnight blue dress that tied in the front, and Elena stepped away from her. "He looked much better on mine though."

So close their noses were touching, Katherine appeared in front of her to challenge. The comment had been enough to put Elena on the edge, she was always trying to destroy her relationships in any way that she could if at all possible. Not this time, she wouldn't take another step back, not now and not ever. She always expected everyone to fear her, yet she was the one who always ran.

"Something tells me you weren't invited." Elena growled, gaining ground and straightening herself.

"Neither were the two hunters that you allowed into your little gathering." The first doppelganger stepped back to clap her hands, "Good job Elena, putting your friends in danger, putting _Elijah_, Stefan and Damon in danger." Her curls bounced around her shoulders as she tilted her head. There was something in Katherine's eyes, something deadly, and an expression Elena had seen before, jealousy.

"You need to leave Katherine, this is one place I know you aren't welcome."

The older vampire chuckled and turned away to break Elena's guard. "You just don't see it." Katherine was a temptress in her own way and the way she said the words under her breath made Elena out like a child. With each word she spoke, each patronizing tone-like she was better than her- made an uncontrollable surge of anger flow through her. Elena didn't have to be afraid of Katherine, she had built herself up from the ground, learned along the way just as she had.

"You know… since we are being so insightful with each other…" That was it, once the words began to come out, they wouldn't stop and Elena could see her mirror image's fingers twitch in obvious irritation. "You should know that since this has been bothering me for a long time," Now she was stepping forward in a challenging demeanor, "Damon begged Elijah to save you, nearly lost his head in the process actually. Then you left, gave him a promise of the future and just…left him like you always do, when I came back with Elijah…so now I wonder…maybe it's not that I love who you have loved, but if you just live to be a parasite to whatever catches my eye."

Though bracing herself for the hit, Elena couldn't prevent her back crashing against the wall, her spine crushing as Katherine held her by the throat-tight- prepared to tear into her. The younger could have played submissive, given in and begged for her life, but no. She was done with playing games. After years of torment from her ancestor who just couldn't let go, Elena had risen from the ashes, an unsuspected phoenix with power stemming from the direct relation to Elijah's bloodline making her stronger than Katherine would ever anticipate.

With that power, she fought back, pushing her off, switching their positions and held the older doppelganger tight by the throat with her fangs bared. Thanks to Elijah, Elena had grown a fondness to the taste of vampire blood and now (though it wouldn't sustain her forever) it called to her, but that was a connection she never wanted.

"You want to hear something funny Katherine?" the steak knife she had slipped into her sash was now strategically impaled into Katherine's side-while not lethal, it was painful as hell- Elena made sure she couldn't move. This woman was a threat to those she loved. "When I was a human, I used to wish that someone would tear you apart. I would never say it, but trust me when I say I thought it. Then…when I first turned, I should have been thankful for your help, but instead I wanted to do it myself." She pulled the knife out, her intention wasn't to kill Katherine, or hardly even hurt her, but sometimes she lost control and now she had her attention. "But now?" she tossed the knife to the side, and shook her head in distaste, "I want to see Elijah, Damon and Stefan rip you apart piece by piece."

Loosening her grip, Elena regained her control as Katherine hunched over to nurse her wounds. "Just leave Katherine, I'm asking nicely, I think."

"Too nicely, if you ask me." A different voice echoed from behind her, and Elena's defenses were strong again at the sound of the knife being picked up off of the floor.

"Rebekah." Suddenly, Elena felt trapped between the two queen bees, and she wasn't about to let her confidence that Elijah's sister wouldn't hurt her cloud her judgment.

"Katherine." The blonde ignored Elena, but moved to her side. "You were hardly welcomed back in Mystic Falls, and you dare show up at my party? I always admired how cunning you were …" the Original sister circled both doppelgangers with the pride of a lion, Rebekah looked valiant in her white halter dress, and seemed as deadly as ever. "So, for someone as smart as you, why are you here? And tormenting Elena?"

Katherine gritted her teeth and looked away from Rebekah and Elena, "I know you are ingesting vervain so compulsion is pointless, so out of the goodness of my heart and because I do think Elena made her point, I am going to personally ask you to leave…and never return." With the words, Rebekah's face shifted, black veins over reddened eyes as her fangs extended, "Or I will rip out your throat."

Elena, unsure, in a twisted and enjoyable way, stepped back from Katherine as Rebekah grabbed her by the face, forcing her to look her in the eye. "And for as long as Elena has my brother bound by her side, you will leave them both alone. Do we understand each other?"

_As long as my brother is bound by your side._ In other words, as long as Elena and Elijah are together, she is protected, the second they (though it was unlikely) cut ties, she was free game…and so was Elijah.

"Yeah. I think I can." Katherine hissed through her teeth and Rebekah nodded in acceptance, releasing her.

"Now, get out."

With one final glare to Elena across from her, Katherine nodded, disappearing in a blur out the door.

"You didn't have to do that." She said quietly, looking to Elijah's sister and checked for Katherine's blood and was pleased to see there was none.

"No, I didn't." she replied darkly _and I didn't want to, trust me _was left hanging in the air. "Now come on, my brother has been looking for you."

* * *

She didn't get to mention the hunter, the warlock or Bonnie and her brother; instead Rebekah pulled her into the middle of the dance floor, passing her right into Elijah's arms.

"Hi." She smiled, looking into his eyes as they fell into the crowd of dancing Mystic Falls residents. Rebekah had fallen instantly into dance with Damon next to them while Caroline and Tyler laughed in each other's arms from the other side.

"You were gone for a while." Elijah returned softly, his eyes full of concern as he spun her on her feet. Dancing with him was like a dream, something she had needed the last time she was here, but in this moment, she only nodded, looking around them carefully.

_"Did you find them?" _she asked in his mind, this conversation was meant for their ears only, which was nearly impossible so they had to stick to their thoughts.

Elijah nodded into the crowd, and Elena turned to see Liam and Regan whispering to each other, wrapped tight together as they danced the same steps following the music. They were close enough to hear over the music, but Elena couldn't understand the words.

_"What's happening?" _She asked him, _"Can you understand?" _Elijah shook his head, guiding Elena to the far side of the dance floor where Kol stood against the wall without Bonnie in sight.

"Why don't you tell me why Katerina was here?" Not only did this catch Elena off guard (though knowing by talking to him through her mind, she was opening up to a lot more) but also caught Kol's attention, enough for him to hop off the wall to join them, grabbing a random girl to avoid looking awkward.

"What a shame we missed her brother," Kol winked to Elijah, who rolled his eyes in discontent.

"Can we talk about her later?" Elena murmured, planting a kiss on his cheek, "We have more important things to worry about right now."

Katherine loved to follow the true lore of the doppelganger by tormenting the other who wore her face, it tore into her relationships, making her…and Elijah, miserable. Right now, however, it really wasn't worth the frustration, not with Regan and Liam around. Elena couldn't trust either of them, so she wasn't about to get caught off guard.

"Of course we can." He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled, though Elena could see the irritation flicker in his eyes of disappointment. She parted her lips to say something, but she realized she wasn't alone.

"Sorry, can I cut in?" an irritating pull on her arm was much more forceful than what Elijah would do to her, and quickly, she turned her attention from the upset Original to see Liam wearing a smug smile in his tuxedo.

"Liam." Elena gave the warlock a falsified grin, pulling slightly away and giving a longing look to Elijah, who was locking a glare with Regan. "Uh…"

"Please," he took her hand right from Elijah's shoulder, but when the vampire moved to grab him, Elena gave him a shaky glare.

_"One fight is enough today. I want to know why they are here."_

A subtle, annoyed nod from Elijah (who knew they wouldn't do anything to her), Elena could see the jealousy form, but she matched his mood the second Regan reached for his hand. It was a burn of need to snap it in two, but Liam was leading her away and pulled her close.

"I wanted to thank you for not causing a scene. No need to drama tonight, right?" his lips were dangerously close to her ear, and though her heart carried an irregular beat, now it was pounding in her chest and when she tried to step back, his powers held her, frozen.

"Let go of me." She growled, "Elijah can hear me." It was intended to be a warning, but Liam only shook his head.

"He can't understand what I am saying, go ahead, try to listen to him and Regan."

Turning her partially to give her a clearer view, Elena's blood boiled at the sight of Regan with her arms around Elijah's neck, so much shorter than he was, but his look of displeasure was calming…for now. Shaking the jealous feeling, Elena focused her hearing, but she was unable to understand the words in another language. "Told you." He told him smugly, turning her back around. "Magic can work wonders."

"What do you want?"

* * *

"What do you want?" Elijah looked over to the panicked Elena, who was dancing sensually close to the unfamiliar warlock. Usually, he wasn't the jealous type, he knew that Elena wanted nothing to do with him, but seeing this…Liam with his hand on her lower back (only begging to go further down) made his blood scream.

She could take care of herself, and starting a scene in the middle of Rebekah's party would be much worse…for both of them. He needed to have control over the situation.

"How is Alma doing?" the question slapped Elijah across the face, and just as quickly, he found his anger refocused.

"Why do you ask?" his voice was cold and even, but Regan's laugh was parasitic, digging under his skin right by the vein.

"We've met…recently actually. You may recall how that ended."

Rubbing his tongue over his teeth, Elijah knew exactly where this was going. "What are you implying?" he gripped her hand tight, threatening to crush the bone as he spun her to keep face.

"You know what I'm implying Elijah." Regan teased, pulling him closer to her face. "Now, you didn't think it would be a coincidence that a hybrid child shows up with such perfect timing for me to become useful?"

A ball formed in Elijah's throat, choking him for a moment, when everything suddenly hit. "You used the child to get closer to Elena."

"No, you misunderstand; we _created_ the child to get closer to you all. Not just Elena." Regan's fingers teased the side of his neck, a feeling that should have been pleasing, but instead made him balk. "You…your siblings…the other hybrid and his girlfriend…the Salvatores…." She turned, scanning the room again, "And my personal favorite? Bonnie Bennett. You see, I needed you all to trust me."

Elijah was known for his control, it was what put him apart from his siblings who at times acted like children on their first breakout since they were much more reckless than him. "You killed Alma."

"I did. Took a while, can't tell you that she didn't suffer, but hey! All is fair in love and war, because I'm not done with you yet."

This was it, things like this took time of course, cracking at the surface and while the vacation away from Mystic Falls had done well after nearly losing Elena, but then returning, the baby and Alma's death had put a thick crack in his reserve.

"Oh but…we can discuss that another time. Your friends are the ones who need help I guess."

"Leave them alone."

"No." shrugged Regan with ease. "In fact, let me make this clear. If you think that Alma's death was the last, you are wrong. You, your doppelganger wench, and friends and family, all had a hand in my sister's death. For that, I will tear you all apart…one…by….one." she placed a gentle hand on his cheek and giggled, but Elijah let out a growl, finally crushing the bones just as he wanted, causing the huntress to yelp in pain.

"Listen to me…Regan." No matter how cool and calm his voice was, Elijah still sounded threatening. His tone was dangerous even though his actions remained stoic to keep appearances. Desperately, he looked over to Elena who seemed frantic with worry. "If anything happens to Elena, or my family I will pry open your chest with my bare hands and pick out your heart piece by beating piece and feed it to you while you are still screaming. I will make it happen…whether it is by turning you myself, or by getting a witch to help me." He tilted his head to the side and gave his usual cocky smirk, "If you hurt any of Elena's friends, she will do it I am sure…and she is new the entire 'vampire torture' business so I can't guarantee good results."

He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, the sound made his predatory side itch with new meaning. It was telling him to rip out her throat, feed on her and find out just what made the hunter tick.

"I would like nothing more than to see you try and stop me." She said with a grin, "You will tear each other apart, so I won't even have to lift a finger." She was trying to sound tough, push the envelope, but she picked the wrong vampire, to stand in front of her and brag about killing his friend was offensive but in the back of his mind he was plotting. She would pay.

* * *

Elena watched Elijah's conversation with Regan closely, struggling to understand the words, but the spell Liam had cast had been true to its goal. His expressions, however, told a world of story.

"You can't know what they are talking about." Liam's lips touched her ear, causing Elena to gasp, "He will not be able to tell you what they are talking about. It's a fun little trick spell I picked up,entertaining…isn't it?"

Ignoring him, Elena watched as Elijah looked in her direction, his pain and desperation showing clearly in his eyes. She began to worry, in times of desperate measures; Elijah has done countless things that he had regretted in the end.

"You two are so adorable." Liam crooned, forcing her to look at him again, "In a disgustingly impetuous manner of course."

"I don't remember her asking for your opinion."

Liam and Elena both turned around to face Kol, who looked livid with anger. Just as sharp as Elijah's brother's glare, Elena could feel a twinge of power crawl over her skin.

"How do you understand us?" the blonde warlock reached out his hand to use his power as Kol reached his, a pointed finger to behind Liam, where Bonnie stood, looking challenging with a smile.

"Your powers are useless right now. Regan's not the only one with a witch you see." Bonnie nodded to Elena as Kol took her hand, "Now, if you don't mind…since we are trying to remain subtle, I am going to take Elena upstairs…you see when she starts to get hungry she gets a bit…testy, and you won't want to be near her for that."

With narrowed eyes, Liam began to tap his finger awkwardly into his palm. Nerves. _Good. _Elena thought with a smile, _He should be nervous._

"Fine." He huffed, "You should know, Elena…that Liliana is all right."

His words dragged behind her as she followed Kol's step, the younger Original, (whom Elena knew wanted to rip the warlock apart) linked his arm with hers and led her upstairs.

* * *

Opening the door to Elijah's study (or what used to be, since he had moved out), Kol led Elena inside. Elijah's collection of books remained intact, but covered in a thin layer of dust, but there was a new addition of a loveseat and an easy chair.

"Been spending time in here Kol?" she laughed, sitting down. The brother laughed, but stayed in the doorway.

"Yeah you could say that. Anyway, Bonnie is helping Elijah get away from our wannabe Buffy-or whatever it's called. I'm going to get Bekah to send this party elsewhere. Whatever they are doing here it isn't good, and since I apparently can't kill them…."

Elena nodded before he could continue, motioning for him to move out of the room, and picked a book off of the coffee table. "Yeah, it looked like Liam was just trying to keep me away from Elijah." And the looks she received from Elijah by his actions still played in her mind, though the way Regan hung onto him wasn't comforting. _Jealousy…that's new._ Sometimes, Elijah made her wonder if he actually cared, but thinking back to his expression, he did.

Flipping through the pages of the book, pretending to read it, felt like it had taken hours when really it had only been moments when finally the study door opened slowly and Elena shot to her feet as Elijah stepped through the door.

"Elijah!" she hopped up, nearly tripping over her dress and rushed to stand in front of him. "What happened? Are you all right?" Holding his face in her hands, she checked him over with mother-hen like ease.

"I'm fine, Elena. Really." His expression was soft, but his voice was devastatingly dry.

Looking at him with now added concern, she asked "What happened?" again and led him to the chair, curling herself onto his lap.

"I'm not really sure." He was lost in thought, and pulled her closer. He opened his mouth again to speak, but a puzzled look crossed his face, "It's like the words won't form."

It was the magic, the only logical explanation was that it still prevented him from speaking about it, but what the hunters weren't prepared for was the connection that the two vampires had.

"Maybe I can help?" Swinging her leg over to squeeze it between his thigh and the arm of the chair, Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, her dress now riding up closer to her thighs.

There were always those moments when they kissed or touched, the other could feel, and not just feel, but at times, Elena would get a rush of visions or memories, not just thoughts.

Her lips graced his carefully at first and a rush swept over her, a clean slate, blank, empty but yet full of passion. It was like the first time, filled with the need of exploration, but this was new as well, a new feeling…and with it a picture in her mind of Liam, dancing with her and a set of jealousy. Giving a light tug on his lip she pulled away, "Elijah, what's wrong?"

His fingers touched like air over her bare arms to the base of her skull and pulled her back to him for another kiss, one more passionate and full of life than the first. "I don't know." He kissed her again, "I distinctly remember you becoming quite close with a certain warlock named Liam?"

Now pulling away in a rush, Elena placed her hand over her chest and gasped, "Elijah Mikaelson, are you jealous?"

"No." Elijah matched the faux surprise with a smile, "I can't help but dislike seeing you dancing with another man, and besides, shouldn't you be in my head?"

Nodding away from him, Elena straightened her back to fix her hair and relaxed against him, holding her hand flat to his chest now. Making physical contact brought it on stronger, there were too many times Elena would find herself trapped in a memory during an intense moment or blood sharing, right now though, each touch of his skin as her fingers ran over his neck made it unbearable.

Snaps into emotion, words and briefly an image of Regan and her smug smile played in her mind, _"You will tear each other apart."_

_"We've met. You may remember."_

"She did it…" Elena realized after putting two and two together, "She was the one who killed Alma."

The pain rushed into her, swelling every being of her soul as she pulled him in for a hug. "Elijah, we allowed her so close to us, I am so sorry."

For a moment, he remained frozen in time, or memory, surging through her came the rest of Regan and her intentions.

Her sister was involved with Klaus and Tatia, and for that she died…so now everyone involved would have to pay the price. "I can't talk about it." It seemed to be more frustrating for him than anything, but Elena only wanted to make it go away. She didn't want him to feel pain anymore.

"Elijah." His name rolled off her tongue as she pressed her lips behind his ear. "You don't have to. I hear everything." She kissed him again, closer to his throat this time and as he spoke, he could hear his blood pulsating in his vein.

"Do you really want to leave?"

That wasn't what he was really asking, he couldn't say the words, but his mind spoke in tiers.

"We will take care of this." She told him confidently, his touch still sending stinging vibrations through her body, "Just like we always do. I will personally tear her apart for Alma if you want."

"No."

That translation was easy, _No, I will take care of her, and I'm not waiting for someone else to get hurt._

"Not just for Alma, for Liliana too. Regan probably killed her father just so we would find the baby." _This is my fault._

"No, Elena. Don't say that." Elijah's hand covered her cheek entirely, and was surprisingly warm against her cool skin. She could fall into him easily, her heart already beginning to race, the inherent need for comfort and a consistency in their lives where there was none. "Sometimes, you are too hard on yourself." He stated bluntly, a feeling obviously not stemmed from his conversation with Regan. Elena gave back a gentle smile, touching the hand on her cheek with her own, laying into it with a sigh.

"This isn't about me." She leaned against his chest, the hand formerly on her cheek now tracing over the ridges of her spin, each bump for sensitive than the last. "But we will get through it," she pulled his knuckle to his lips and placed a kiss on the bone looking up to him with doe eyes. Displeased with just that one form of contact, Elijah caught her chin with his forefinger and brought her to face him again.

"I'm not worried." She could feel his lie, the magic pulling between them as it moved. Hopefully Bonnie could break whatever this was.

Brushing her lips against his again, Elena allowed his feelings to stretch over her like a tight blanket, even as she shifted to get comfortable. "We can be unstoppable."

As a force by itself, Elena and Elijah were unstoppable, they had balance, dynamics and worked well as one, and with that, they weren't strong enough to resist their own temptations since that was also a part of them.

Holding her lips for only a moment, she allowed him control, _give and take_, allowed him to travel in her own mind, passing glimpses of Katherine (knife inside of her and all) until his tongue slipped against hers, flicking gently while they shared the woeful memories much needed to be kept in the past. Her hands moved on her own, even as her thighs held against him, they moved like a snake's slither with its charmer to untuck his shirt. She wanted to trail her fingers against his muscle, each flicker of a memory like a television with a bad connection.

"Elena…" Elijah pulled away from her, the entire connection fading with separation.

"No." she breathed, pulling him back, her nails inching over his hip bond. Not after what she saw, Regan and her idle threats towards her, his family and her friends, "I knew she wasn't to be trusted, and now everyone is in danger, your family, and my friends?"

Gently, Elena's other hand stroked his jaw, the smoothness of his skin sending a spark through her fingers, "I can feel it, you know. Everything that has happened, but the pieces aren't fitting.

His lips were hardened against hers as he kissed her again-anything to shut her up she presumed.

"You shouldn't have to feel this way." Elena knew all too well what it was like to mourn in silence, but she had done so by choice, Elijah was pushed by a spell to not speak of who killed Alma. _Regan_ was the one who did it, she killed his friend.

"And you are the only one who should? You allow Katerina to crawl under your skin like a disease, you let her get to you, but you don't say anything. You prefer to suffer in silence as well."

"Which has done more harm than good." Elena argued, did they not learn anything? There were constant ups and downs, downplayed by "greater" evils and hardly under immediate control. It nearly tore them apart, and Elena wasn't about to let that happen again. Liam, Regan and Katherine could rot for all it mattered, but first she needed to figure out Elijah.

_Blood sharing is a bit personal,_ especially for two vampires already bound by the mind. It brought you into the depths of their memory, put you in their placer, and those effects could last minutes to hours (or even days depending on how much taken) after the fact. It brought Elena closer to Elijah, as a deviant tool of figuring him out, but also the pure sexual desire that came from it pulled her in the most unexplainable ways. It was a gratifying feelings, like after finishing that five thousand piece puzzle.

It was the only way to reach his mind, maybe she could shatter the magic on her own.

"Just let me try." She pleaded mercilessly, guiding his arm up tentatively and rolling down his sleeve, pressing her lips against the vein pulsating in his wrist. Her body turned away from his as his arm cradled her head. He knew what she meant, and he didn't have to give her permission as she could feel the anticipation from his pores, even if he didn't agree to the purpose, the feeling as her fangs pierced the thin layer of skin was numbingly erotic, felt in each inch of his being. It was personal, the loss of blood to someone else made you become them. If there wasn't a different motive at play, the way her hips rubbed against him as she fed would have brought him to rip the dress off and take her, ignoring the thought they may have company.

Elena could feel this all, pulling the life from him, the memories of everything to do with Regan, the emotions of Alma, it was powerful and extremely physical.

His fingers were wrapped tight in her hair, holding her head in pace as his breathing became heavy and each muscle relaxing causing his head to roll back against the back of the chair. "Elena…" she wasn't sure if he was begging her to stop, or continue harder, but still, she released him carefully and looked up to him knowing by the tightening of his pants, she had chosen the wrong one and ran her hand slowly up his inner thigh, smiling along with him as his thumb pressed into the spot of blood on her lip teasing her fangs.

"Sorry," she apologized, hating to allow anyone to see her like that. It took all of her self-control to withhold the need for blood, the lust (physical and otherwise).

"Don't be."

It was cautious, but Elena could feel his hand inching up her dress, separating her thighs over his waist and pull her in for a kiss. His relief was obvious, letting go over the emotions that clouded him made room for another need, not so much primal as the usual rule that applies, but he seemed hesitant.

Returning to his lips, Elena held his face in her hands, moving her body against him, teasing him through their clothes. It was undying, growing vigorously between them, like dusk between night and day. She could _feel_ his heart beat in her own chest, a tune each vampire became familiar with when stalking their prey.  
He had no idea she knew how bad he wanted her, she could feel it between her thighs to her core, in her gums regretfully retracted while they kissed and shared the blood that remained on her tongue.

Even their breath exchanged words of desire and need in silence. It was feeling, only feeling, but as Elena pressed harder against him, she could feel the pressure mound and soon enough it would explode.

"My brother," Elijah tugged at her ear with his teeth, "will be coming up soon." He straightened his back, meeting to press himself against her breasts, his hand steadily supporting her back.

"So?" his counterpart crooned, trailing her finger over the buttons to his dress shirt. "What's the worst…" her lips were on his neck, and words only escaped between kissing him, "that could happen? He'll get a show?" For the most part, she was kidding, but with emotions running so high from the blood, nothing could pry her off of him.

Or, when in a flash her back slammed against the door (damned vampire speed, even when it caught off her guard) her dress hiked over her thighs again.

"Not if he can't get in." the Original baited, dropped Elena down to her feet, and before she could say a word in complaint, turned her to face the wall, holding her hands above her head with one hand and his other wrapped tight around her waist to arch her back.

A quiet purring noise caught at Elena's lips as she tilted her head to the side, fully exposing her neck, and admiring the blood stain where she had left her-now healed- mark. His breathe was hot as it breezed behind her ear, yet sent shivers down her spine, a low groan escaped her throat, expectant, wanting, willing. He didn't have to touch her to put tremors through her body, each one sending a painful urge against Elijah's pulsating length.

His hand inched upwards to her breasts in scheme with his moistened lips as they trailed right along the vein of her jugular, testing her olive skin with blunt teeth as she squirmed against him in exhilarated pleasure.

"I don't want to ruin this…exquisite dress." He trilled, his hand cupping her breast over the fabric.

"I think I will survive." She pulled one hand free from his grasp, instantly finding a place for it on his leg, scrunching the fabric between her fingers, and pulling him against her backside.

Elijah chuckled into her, placing his lips gently on her neck as he lifted her dress, exposing the blush colored panties she had chosen. At first, the rush of cool air surprised her, but she eased into it, focusing her fingers on his belt buckle from her back while he slipped down her underwear to tease her inner thigh.

Before, it had been words and thoughts sending tremors through her body, now, as his fingers teased her inner flesh she was growing tormented in erotica. His blood flowed fresh in her veins, and it called-screamed- for her to make him take her. It pounded into each lower part of her body to where her legs twitched in antagonizing need, but she wasn't alone.

Her body tensed as his finger touched her, flicking carefully over her nub, causing the breath to lodge a moan deep in her throat. She tried to remain quiet, Elijah's deep in her throat. She tried to remain quiet, Elijah's other hand relinquishing control, but her now free hand remained frozen, propping her body from falling to pieces as her knees grew weak from the light pressure on her clit.

Already wet and dripping with need, Elena let out a moan as two fingers slipped inside of her as the other hand-thumb and index finger-held her head up under the jawbone emanating a light gasp from her body. She moved against him, wanting to turn her head to look at him, but with her knees nearly buckling as his hand cupped her sex, she was helpless…and feeling incredibly submissive.

"What do you want?" hot breath, for a moment unrecognizable over her own heavy breathing, went through her ear.

"You." She replied, fingers pressing deeper into her, she had one foot on her toes, tapping anxiously on the floorboard, when had she tossed her shoes to the side? "Oh god." Her mouth was held open as his hand found the home it wanted, moving first into her, but soon enough with her as she guided him and she still fought to remain quiet, a party full of vampires still going on downstairs-left forgotten by the two matched vampires.

With the hand holding her jaw, Elijah moved her head back to rest against him, and from the corner of her eye she saw him flash a devious smirk. He craved control, but she wanted what she wanted, and how she wanted it, and that was now.

"Elijah, please." She groaned through the thin of her teeth, already feeling a climax forming in her lower abdomen, an early onset warning that she wanted him _now_. Begging now, pressing tight against him, she took her hand off the door and switched it with her knee for balance as she undid his pants without looking. She was burning for him to enter her, each second apart was like running blind.

"Elijah," she begged once more at the slip of his fingers as they grazed her bundle of nerves. Tugging at her hip, he pushed her chest right against the door, allowing her forehead to rest against its ridges of design. His body, heaving in the rush, was pressed up against hers, his cock-now exposed-rubbed lightly over her behind while his fingers continued to graze over her until he slipped into her warmth.

Grasping for the first thing he could for balance, his fingers entwined through her own, holding them against the molding while he thrust inside of her.

It started out slow, never rushing into a race, and Elijah followed Elena's soft cues of pleasure and her muscles pulsated around him. Both chests heaving in step with the other, Elijah picked up his pace, quickening his thrusts to a light pound, though there was nothing she couldn't handle (and he has checked before) he wanted her to writhe under him, unable to overpower and the quickened breaths, tied intricately with moans, which were only getting louder.

Twitching muscles warned them both of what would come, her leg offset sideways to allow greater access, began to shake uncontrollably and each bone felt weakened, every fiber of her being turning to jelly.  
She cried out his name, her orgasm shrouding him as he rode through, the feeling of elation bringing out his own fangs to pierce her skin doubling her pleasurable sounds as well as his own.

Her blood was sweet like honey, but sliding down his throat with ease as he continued to push through her climax, now more sensitive than ever, her grip tightened on his hands nearly breaking the bones signaling him for a release, in both ways.

Breathing roughly into her bloodied neck, Elijah let out a moan as he filled her, her body falling weak into his arms. "I hear Kol." She murmured weakly as he single handedly fixed his pants, hearing her warning. The other held a weak-but satisfied-Elena. She could hear his brother walking up the stairs, but he seemed to be taking his time.

This feeling of weakness happened often after sex, Elijah managed to physically consume every ounce of her being when he was with her, and not just the sharing of thoughts, but that was all forgotten as he lifted her into his arms, rushing to the sofa. Elena could feel safe in his arms, numb to the world around her, any dangers caused by the witch and hunter became obsolete.

Finding comfort into the sofa, curling up on his lap (since he chose the easy chair, rather than the loveseat, possibly leaving that for his brother) her heart warmed with the kiss on her forehead, and Elijah led her head down to his chest so she could close her eyes.

"And poof," she giggled quietly, nuzzling into his neck as Kol's voice was heard outside of the door, "Like nothing happened."

* * *

**Reviews are always sweet :)**


	41. I am Not a Part of Him

**Thank you guys for all of the support with this story :)  
This chapter starts the beginning of a slightly dark turn (as hinted with the witches making an appearance in the last chapter) In an effort to try and shorten this (because to be honest, I want to end this story, it has turned too long) a lot will be happening, there will be a bit of darkness, but also some good Elijah/Elena as well. It's not all going to be dark, but expect some angst in the couple of chapters before we close off with our happy ending ;)  
**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
I am Not a Part of Him**

Elena's breath was cool against Elijah's neck as she lulled off against him. She felt weightless and carefree curled into his arms but he knew she was still awake, just in a vegetative state to ease her tense muscles from her release.

The woman in his arms was so dazed, that even when Kol swung the door open, she hardly diverted her crescent shaped eyes from Elijah's as she looked into the corner of his.

"It smells like sex in here." Kol let out a hefty sigh, his eyes dancing wildly. "Glad you two got to enjoy yourselves while Bekah and I cleared out our guests."

Without a word and his expression unchanging, Elijah watched his brother as he sat across from them. He could hear the footsteps coming up and going down the nearby stairs, vampires making themselves at home in the "lavish" Mikaelson mansion.

"What of the witch and hunter?" the Original ran his fingers over the back of Elena's head, pulling her closer. Though both vampires held the same body temperature, she always felt so much warmer against him, even if as she sighed, his skin would turn to ice. To him though, Elena may have been dead, but she was very much alive.

"Gone, fled once we got you two away from her witchy voo doo or whatever it was." Kol's eyes drifted between the couple, falling onto Elena. "Brother, if we could speak in private?"

Arching a brow, Elijah studied his younger sibling, looking for any sign of issue towards Elena, but saw none. This was a more devious expression, one more dangerous than one would usually assume.

"Of course." He replied carefully, looking to the woman in his lap, "Elena I'm sure my bedroom is empty, why don't you go…" he paused to brush a hand down her arm as if not wanting to ruin the moment with his words, and jolted her attention, "and get changed into something more comfortable?"

Elena's slit eyes shot wider to reveal the gleam in understanding, "I guess so." She slid off of his lap, allowing her fingers to graze his cheek and sauntered passed to give a cold stare to Kol as she walked out.

Silently, Elijah waited for his brother to continue, feeling adverse for shutting Elena out as he had but she didn't seem to mind.

Once Kol was confident the younger vampire was out of ear shot he spoke, still keeping his voice low. "I know that the hunter said to you." _Hunter_, not Regan. She didn't deserve a name. "Bonnie did some witchy fun stuff. It sucks about Alma."

Kol was never one for remorse; his so much as acknowledging her death was a way of showing condolences and that was more than enough.

"So you know the whole story." Elijah replied coldly, it was getting late and now they had a house full of vampires, and for an unknown reason, that made him incredibly uncomfortable while Elena was in the house.

Something didn't feel right.

"Yes, and all the while, imagining all of the ways I can…eat the little bitch." Kol smirked. "Spread her bones around the town border as a warning to all." He faced his palms towards his older brother, spreading them apart like a rainbow. "Beware all ye who enter, a doppelganger lives here."

"Very funny, Kol." Elijah shot back, his voice dry, though he couldn't help but find his brother's humor amusing.

"I'm serious though Elijah. I want to tear her apart…and her little witch boyfriend." The unstable Mikaelson child was practically begging-even though Elijah knew all too well that if he wanted to do some damage, he wouldn't be asking for his permission.

It took some self-deliberation, but Elijah knew how he felt about the current situation. These two were relentless and wouldn't stop until they truly did tear them all apart. Looking to his hand in thought, Elijah couldn't help but smirk. "You and I both brother, you and I both."

There was honor in revenge, and this could be enjoyable…if they were to tread carefully.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Elena walked down the hallway towards Elijah's bedroom past an unfamiliar couple. They were two vampires wrapped in each other's arms against the wall and the red headed girl with piercing green eyes stared while facing her and smiled while her partner laid kisses on her neck. The look was disconcerting, and made Elena wonder how many would think of her as Katherine, shunning her from the rest of the vampires as an outcast.

The awkward stares followed her (from other passing guests as well) until she reached Elijah's room, the only one seemingly untouched, but also uninhabited since Elijah hasn't lived there for a couple of weeks,

Shutting his door, Elena examined the space-which is all it was. His bed was still dressed with blue linen sheets, the closet doors were tightly shut, though Elena knew he had some clothes in there still, and a large set of black curtains were pulled over the door that led to his balcony, and with it the nostalgic memories of their time together hit hard.

_Make yourself comfortable_ he had told her, so she unzipped her dress, allowing the smooth fabric to fall to the ground and her bare skin to sting against the cool air. There was a certain…freedom in being alone-naked- in another man's bedroom, but that freedom would have to be covered up for now.

Climbing onto the bed (and subconsciously testing the sheets with her fingertips first), Elena's body was still humming from her previous release and she had to bite back, toying with the sheets between her fingers instead. Her eyes locked onto them, crossing in the process as her mind buzzed around hopelessly trying to pass the time by counting backwards from ten…then again from twenty…then again from thirty.

She continued this process until there was a shuffling outside of the door, and the click of the knob as Elijah stepped inside, looking more thoughtful than before.

"What was that about?" Elena questioned without looking up. She didn't mean to sound so snobby by questioning him, but curiosity got the better of her. It wasn't like Elijah to keep things from her (something she had learned a long time ago) so she had no problems waiting.

Elijah said nothing at first though; it wasn't until he kneeled before her, running his fingers over the sheet that hugged tight around her curves that he finally spoke.

"Kol just wanted to tell me how badly he wants to rip Regan and Liam apart."

Elena's eyes focused on Elijah as he shrugged off his jacket, placing it carefully on the bedpost by her head and began to roll up his sleeves. "Well, that's not a surprise." She grumbled, shifting her body to the other side of the bed while Elijah took off his shoes. "Why have me leave though?"

Not that she minded, but it was a little strange, as if Elena had no idea Kol had murderous tendencies.

"You know I can hardly explain, or understand my brother's actions Elena." He replied faintheartedly as he tugged lightly at the sheet to unravel it from her body and smiled as he climbed into the bed to join her. The rest of the house seemed to fall quiet finally; the bustle of the ending party had finally passed, though Elena could sense the mass amount of vampires on the other sides of each wall. It made her skin itch, and in response, she pulled herself against Elijah's chest to wrap her arms around him, and her leg hooked into his as the blanket now lay across the both of them.

"What is on your mind Elena?" he kept his voice in a hushed tone, suitable with the coming late hour, "You seem…distracted."

The hand that was draped over her body slid under her arm to run over her hip. The gesture was sweet, teasing in its own way but still sweet, and Elena let out a defeated sigh.

"I don't know…I wish…I just wish I wasn't me anymore. I'm cursed and everyone around me is at risk for it." Creaking her head up towards him, she felt horrible for complaining. As if Elijah had any choices in what he became. "I'm sorry." Quickly she apologized, but Elijah only gave her a warm smile and hugged her closer.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

He was always so reasonable towards her, making her feel like the weight of the world was taken off of her shoulders.

"Faulty genetics maybe." Stupid doppelganger bloodline, forever haunting her.

A relief of pressure from her shoulder brought out a gasp when Elijah pushed her back flat against the mattress and perched himself between her thighs. "Is that why you want to leave Mystic Falls?" his eyes narrowed as his hands found haven by her head. "Do you think you can escape this life?"

_I did once. _She fought back to her travels with him, a trip she often described as relaxing, had been the perfect escape. The thought of packing up everything and setting up roots elsewhere was frightening, but equally as tempting.

"Escape is such a harsh word." She caused, cupping his face in her hands, "I just want to move." She wasn't about to end everything she had here, she could still visit and her friends could come see her.

Elijah's eyes softened as his hair fell over, touching against her forehead. "I just don't want you to leave here for the wrong reasons…"

"What are the right reasons then?"

He paused for a moment, his darkened hazel eyes glazing over like tinted glass. There was nothing Elijah could say that would fail to make her believe. "Because you want to go."

He didn't have to explain it any more than that. Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus and Kol spent most of their lives running from their father-their problems- forced to move from place to place, it was only natural that he wouldn't want that for her.

"I do want to go." She said diligently, pulling him closer to kiss his neck and allowing her lips to linger as if draining the answer from him, "I want you…me…and Jeremy to leave. Once I am out of here, I think everyone will be safe."

"And if Jeremy wants to stay?" A burning question, since Elena hadn't had the chance to discuss her intentions with her brother.

"I'm not going to force him to come with us," even if she wanted to, since sending Jeremy off to Denver against his will, things between her and her brother, while sweet on the outer layer, had grown tense. "If he doesn't want to come…then he doesn't have to."

Elijah gave a lighthearted chuckle and shifted his weight onto one arm so his other hand could smooth down her side, the skin itching as he held back a laugh.

"And your house?" he breathed into her ear before raising his lips to her temple, "Will you sell it?"

She had hardly been paying attention, each breath against her skin made her body crave him, forced back by the thought of all of the strange vampires on either side of the walls. Regardless, he was making (as if it were that hard) her want him.

"My house?" she squeaked out, wrapping her arms around his neck and cocking her head in question.

"Will you sell it? Or…would you like to keep it?" his expression grew more serious now, and the conversation –as his younger counterpart could feel it-had become dreary, the thoughts of selling her childhood home hadn't even occurred to her, and it made the muscles in her stomach lurch.

"I-I don't think I could keep it." She sounded as disappointed as she felt as she placed a warm hand on his cheek, "I mean…how could I?"

"Hm…" Elijah rolled to his side again, pulling Elena to face him, "You know I could help." He seemed to understand when she shook her head with determination.

"No, my plan has a few kinks that's all. I'll figure it out." Pitifully, she smiled and closed her eyes. The cloth of his pants and dress shirt felt like ice against her bare naked skin, the cool wave of physical contact was what she relished in. It was why she preferred sleeping without clothes, since being a vampire every physical touch sent her pores buzzing, it was an unmistakable high like drinking too much blood, or even too much alcohol. It didn't bother her enough that there were probably at least twenty five vampires in the house to prevent herself from stripping down t just her underwear.

_Underwear…._

Elijah, while they were alone, had slipped it off, she never grabbed it in the rush to get back to the chair before Kol walked in.

"Elijah…" she began to ask him quietly, her heart changing to an awkward state as she broke her back over where she misplaced the pair. "Is there anyone staying in your office?"

"I believe Kol is hiding out in there to avoid Rebekah's dalliances with the men in the house." The poor girl only wanted to be loved, in a way, Elena pitied her but she couldn't worry about that right now. _Kol _was alone in a room, where her panties remained unattended to.

"I'll…be right back." She hopped up, running to Elijah's closet quickly to find a robe she knew she had left and put it on. "I think I forgot something." She told him before disappearing out the door.

Elena stopped suddenly in front of the closed door to Elijah's office. The hallway to the mansion was empty, the sounds of scurrying in each room oddly familiar and comforting. The smell of blood however, coming straight from the vein of a moaning human being (or even vampire), was alluring. She was still young after all and hadn't fed off of a human since they were overseas, so the imagery was shaking her system, her reserve. _Maybe Elijah and I can go hunting…_ she thought with a smile. She wouldn't kill, sometimes the rush was enough to quench her thirst.

Shivering the feeling off, Elena opened the office door to step into the dimly lit room.

She couldn't see him, but knew he was there; Kol had an overpowering sense about him that took in an entire room. It made him impossible to miss…and made her skin crawl.

"Ah…the ever lovely Elena." His voice hummed in a teasing song. "Did you forget something?"

Eyes shooting around the room, Elena spotted him sitting off to the side on the end table. "I did."

Shuffling around, searching for the thin blush colored fabric, which she spotted from the corner of her eye in the hands of the Original brother.

"Oh, you mean like this?" his long fingers entwined the lace, his eyes widened in mystery.

"Kol, give that to me." Appearing before him, hugging her thin silk robe closer to her body, she growled into his laughing face.

"Relax darling," he instantly took ground. "I was just teasing. Here." He handed her the underwear, which was quickly snatched from his hand, her fingers catching on his.

It was unexplainable, the sensation that sparked through their bodies, maybe it was magic, or something else but it left Elena feeling empty, drained dry of life.

"Kol?" she spelled his name out slowly, stepping away as she reminded herself she was practically naked, and now feeling self-conscious.

The youngest Mikaelson brother said nothing as he slid off the table to stare straight into her eyes.

"Kol…what are you doing?" he stepped closer to her, his dark pools vibrant in a marble color while walking towards her.

"I don't know Elena." He whispered, his hand touching the skin exposed on her neck. "I'm not sure."

There was something different now about him, while she suddenly felt incredibly dead, Kol seemed to illuminate life, though focusing on the darkness.

As evil as Kol was, the built in pure devil intent, this was different. He was…wrong, and more frightening in the process.

"Kol…back off." She warned, stepping back again, but Elijah's brother was on her in a second, gently pinning her against the near wall, covering her mouth.

"You smell…" the rush of the air from his nose as he took in the scent of her blood made her try and cry out, but while she was strong, Kol was naturally stronger. "Wonderful, it's no wonder Elijah can't keep his hands off of you."

His eyes trailed lazily over her, fighting an uncontrollable urge that Elena was all too familiar with. _Hunger._

She fought against him, though his body was pressed tight against hers, forcing her to remain as stiff as stone, unable to fight back. "Kol, you don't have to do this." She begged through his fingers while he examined his prey. She hoped that Elijah could feel her panic, but it was too late.

Kol Mikaelson's darkness quickly turned demonic as the veins around his eyes turned ashen, his fangs extending greedily. "Yes…I do." He frowned, "_And you are going to be silent, and enjoy it._"

Everything changed, there was a soothing voice in her mind as he spoke…the kind that made you want to stop struggling and cooperate. Compulsion, a gift of the original vampires, and she was not immune.

Elena did as she was told, her muscles falling from tense to weak, even as she felt Kol's fangs pierce her neck she didn't cry out, she did not beg, or fight. Instead, she felt warm and invigorated even as her leg positioned itself around the other vampire for better balance for better…access to her vein.

There was a puff of breath escaped her lungs, nearly a man in enjoyment, but her mind was screaming, having lost all control over her body. She was lost in shameful torment, though her body wanted it-reveled in the urge.

There was nothing she could do.

* * *

Elijah watched as Elena left his empty, impersonal room. She had flown out in such a rush, he barely got two words out on her departure. He expected her to be back soon, he put his feet up onto the bed. It was late, by now one am at least but he wasn't feeling tired, that is…until the heavy clicking of heels outside his door drew his attention. The sound was one he couldn't mistake for any other.

"Rebekah…you can come in." he said carelessly, and the door opened to his sister, still wearing her dress, though her hair spun around her shoulders unnaturally as if she pulled out a few pins unintentionally.

"Brother, it's so nice to see you without your doppelganger wench." Rebekah moseyed into the room as if she owned the place, her eyes glazed over as if making sure Elena was nowhere near.

"Careful sister, your grey lines are showing." Elijah didn't look up at his sister while he used a phrase his mother favored ("You get a grey line every time you show unnecessary hate").

"Save it, Elijah." She sat down on the bed next to him, anger in her eyes. "She ruined my party!"

This brought her eldest brother to raise his gaze, his dark eyes piercing into his sister's. "It looks to me like you still had your fun." He returned quickly. "Did you choose a different Salvatore this time? Or is Damon the lucky one once again?"

Anger may have burned in his sister's eyes, but pure fury is what drove Elijah.

"Elijah…you're not being fair." She whined, pushing his knee like she would when they were children.

"I am being fair sister, Elena saved our lives and whether you want to admit it or not, she deserves respect."

He wasn't going to bother mentioning that she was the woman whom he loved like no other, he didn't want her vomit on his bed.

"Yes, Elijah, after her and her friends tried to kill us. All she does is bring trouble and as usual you fell for it."

He tried not to succumb to his sister's insults, though she enjoyed baiting him any way she could over the thousand years she had gotten better at it.

Refusing to give her the reaction she wanted, Elijah allowed his mind to focus on other, more important things.

Elena wasn't back yet.

The second the thought crossed his thoughts, he could feel a mind numbing tension reaching out to her, but she wasn't there.

"Something isn't right." Speaking to himself, Elijah swung his feet to the floor, still feeling off…empty.

"Of course not Elijah, something must be wrong with Elena." Rebekah rolled her eyes, standing up. "Better go save her life…again."

Her brother followed her to the door, his mind no guard for Elena, and also for anything else out of the ordinary. He never once blamed Elena for everything that happened to her. She didn't choose this life, the life of the doppelganger was a curse, and they all willingly stepped in.

The moment he stepped through the threshold of his bedroom, everything seemed simple and quiet besides a low muffled sound, a moan coming from the office.

_The office._

Leaving his sister's side, Elijah ran down the hall to his study and swung open the door to see Kol, his _brother_ feeding off of Elena. Not even giving a second to notice the blood dripping from her neck, covering her exposed skin, Elijah's anger took over. Anger, betrayal and frustration brought him to tear into his brother, ripping him off of her and toss him into the opposite wall. He couldn't look at her, afraid of what his expression had turned to, instead he focused into his brother's petrified glazed over eyes.

Something was wrong.

He heard Elena fall to a weakened heap on the floor behind him, but Elijah was still too angry, too infuriated with his brother to pay much attention, who was shaking his head in panic and confusion.

"What happened?" Kol choked out, struggling to his feet.

Now he could hear Elena's body being thrown back to the floor as she tried to stand, Rebekah's growl erupting in the room. "Don't you see Elijah? She cannot be trusted!"

His glare didn't leave Kol's, stricken in confusion and panic, but his oldest brother was too pissed off to care. "I will deal with you in a minute." He said, his voice wavering in the slightest. This was not what he had expected; this was not what he expected at all.

In one move, Elijah snapped his brother's neck, leaving him on the floor and moved to Rebekah, pulling her off a struggling and weak Elena, who quickly jumped to her feet and hid in the corner.

"Elijah I…this isn't his fault!" tears were streaming down her face, dried blood leaving streaks on her neck where the chunk of muscle had been ripped out from Elijah not waiting for his brother to release her. He could see she was just as confused as his brother, but hugged her body close, shaking like a leaf, and a loud bang as the office door swung open made them both jump.

"Welcome to the party Damon." Rebekah sneered, leaning against the wall closest to Kol.

"Yes Damon, welcome." Elijah, now unsure where to direct his anger, couldn't take his fury ridden eyes off of Elena. He didn't know what to think, while he was certain this wasn't her doing or fault, he couldn't comprehend what had happened. "Now can you do me a favor and take Elena out of here? I need to have a discussion with my brother…alone." He glared at Rebekah in warning, and gave a nod to Damon who was already helping a hysterical Elena to her feet.

He could feel her again, but as he reached into her mind, the memories were fuzzy, but he had to push it back as Kol began to wake up.

"Eli-jah." Kol groaned, straightening himself to his feet across from his brother, who was now leaning casually against the desk, looking ready to strike.

Kol Mikaelson never showed fear, he could have torn Elena's head off and spit on the body, had he meant to do it, he would be laughing in Elijah's face. Not this way, Kol was genuinely terrified and confused.

"Kol," Elijah paid attention to the large Monet behind his brother's head, the vision of Elena, her legs wrapped around Kol's waist as he fed-while she enjoyed it- were burned into his brain. "Do you care to explain yourself?"

"I-I don't know what happened. She had forgotten her underwear; I gave it to her…then…" Kol shook his head, wiping the dried blood from his lip and cringing. "I don't know."

* * *

"Elena, what happened?" Damon had led the tear stricken vampire back to Elijah's bedroom and sat her on the bed.

Elena was broken all over again, something had happened to Kol, even for him, he had changed. She still couldn't cope with the disaster in front of her, she was frozen in time, in her mind. "I don't know." She sputtered, still gathering her thoughts.

Everything was so clouded in her head, only the image of Elijah and his look of betrayal playing over and over in her mind. She was compelled, but the fun thing about compulsion is that you can't tell people you were compelled. She was confident that Elijah would know…if he were to ever speak to her again.

"Try not to worry Elena." She hadn't even noticed that Elena was in the room-her goal to make her feel worse, surely. "All of my brothers used to share their women back in the day…it was part of the rules."

Elena never once questioned Elijah's past experiences, his adventures with his family, but this was entirely new information, and unexpected. "Oh but don't worry, that was a long time," the blonde concluded at the look of Elena's surprise.

It didn't make her feel much better.

"Bekah, you aren't helping." Damon glared to the Original sister, who only smirked with pride.

"Oh, is that what we are doing?" she smiled innocently to the raven haired vampire.

"Yes Rebekah." Damon growled, his hand on Elena's back as tears still streamed down her face (vampire emotions now entirely out of control) "I think she was compelled."

"It's…it's not Kol's fault." She said with a frown, her voice still cracking from the flow of tears and fear shaking. She could still feel Kol's body pressed against hers, but she wasn't enjoying it anymore.

"I have to get out of here." And shower, wash the Kol off of her body, along with the dried blood. She felt diseased, violated…like a victim all over again. "I'm sorry…I just have to go."

She didn't give them the chance to stop her and rapidly slipped on her dress which had been by her feet before disappearing out the door, escaping everything as fast as she could, rushing home.

Elena could hear him pull into the driveway, even over the sound of the burning hot water running over her body. She had spent the past ten minutes scrubbing the sticky blood off of her neck, cleansing herself of anything Kol related.

_It's not his fault_ she told herself, but she couldn't contain her anguish. Whatever it was that had happened to him was unnatural, but now she didn't know what to think.

"Elena?" she heard his voice as he entered the house. She said nothing-keeping her back against the cool tile as water, along with tears, rolled off of her skin. She just couldn't bare to face him, not after what she had done.

_You didn't do it. _She told herself, but for some reason she just couldn't believe it. Was this survivor's guilt?

There was a cool rush as the bathroom door opened, letting out the steam from her shower. Through the fog on the glass door, Elena watched Elijah enter the bathroom and sit on the toilet seat with his head in his hands.

There was nothing she could say, the words wouldn't form, and her voice wouldn't work. She was hurting, violated in the most personal way possible, but probably not nearly as bad as Elijah was.

"Elena…will you talk to me?" even his voice was ragged and weak. Judging by the time she got home, he hadn't stuck around long after she left.

She only hoped Kol was all right.

"Elena?"

"I have nothing to say." She grunted, running her fingers over her hair, the images still flashing through.

"Elena, I think I deserve some kind of explanation, anything at all." Somehow, his voice had remained stiff. She could feel him, his emotions all over the place between anger and resentment, yet none of it was directed at her…still she felt so much guilt.

"I-I'm sorry." She spoke through the glass, telling herself that he wasn't really there. She knew he could feel her pain after all. "I just don't know what to say…"

What could she say? That his possessed brother fed on her…and she enjoyed it? She enjoyed it, and that was wrong. She didn't want him to stop until the moment he had released her, which was even worse.

"I know that you were compelled."

He could see it all, feel it all, each press against her body, each euphoric sense as her blood was being drained.

"So then you know everything." She didn't have to go into it, she didn't have to relive that moment in spoken word ever again if she didn't want to. Elijah knew and it didn't matter.

"It was magic." Elijah's voice shook in anger again, just in time for the tears to stop flowing, "Regan and Liam did this to him Elena, and most importantly, to you."

Magic. Regan. Liam. Three words she never wanted to hear again. They were ruining her friend's lives, her life and her relationship.

She was done.

"Is Kol okay?"

"He's fine, left town for a couple of days to make sure the magic is out of his system, but all right."

The water was becoming cold, but it didn't matter, she wasn't done washing herself, she wasn't done trying to forget. She wouldn't be satisfied until her skin peeled off.

"I don't blame him, he just got…weird."

Elijah was quiet for a moment, a moment that dragged on forever as flashes of the horrible memories shot through her mind, but finally, he spoke. "That is very honorable of you Elena." It had been ages since he had said something like that to her, but she didn't agree.

"Honorable enough to enjoy having your brother feed on me?" The tears broke through again, so she forced herself to turn away from Elijah's direction, placing her forehead against the tile. "I don't think so."

"You were compelled." There was a slight reflection in the ceramic of Elijah rising to his feet, placing his hand on the glass door. "I can't hold that against you."

She was also a vampire who frequently enjoyed being fed on during sex, the two seemed to come hand in hand-and compulsion or not (would the enjoying part go that far?), she wasn't confident she would stop Kol if he had tried.

She was lucky he didn't.

"But it still happened. I can' forget about it." Using Kol as a vessel, the witches violated her in their own sick sadistic version of sexual assault (remembering more and more how Kol would grind against her , taking her blood). The tears were traveling down faster now, her whole body trembling uncontrollably and her legs losing their ability to hold her weight.

As if she hadn't been shattered before. Elena had been raped by magic, forced against her will to do something she would never do, both her and Kol were victims.

"Nobody wants you to forget." She heard the squeaking of the shower door opening, the cold forcing her to go against the wall tighter. "Elena, please."

Elijah's hand reached over, touching her forearm, but still Elena found herself trembling under his touch unintentionally.

"I am so sorry Elijah." Her hand balled into a fist, "I just can't take this anymore. Everyone is hurting because of me."

Everything began shaking, flashes of the memory killing her head, scrambling her thoughts, what had been her intent what wasn't real…all of it pushing forward like an ugly parasite.

When the world gave way, she fell into a ball of tears, a heap of what used to be her strength, now splintered down to pieces. The witches goal was to tear them apart one by one, and slowly they were winning.

"How can you even look at me?" she stumbled over the words, her head buried in her hands, the same with each pounding memory too much, destroying each fiber of her being.

How could he forgive her? If he truly knew what could have happened, how could he even stand to look at her?

Over her tears and the rushing water, Elena could hear him step in the tub, gathering her into his arms and pulling her against his suit as he sat at the bottom, shielding her from the water.

"I doubt there is anything you could do that would change how I feel about you Elena. I understand what happened. This was not your fault." He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, "Regardless of what happened…or what could have happened."

His clothes were drenched, he still held her close, ignoring the water to hold her naked body in his arms as he had earlier that evening in his bed, this time was different though, she was smiling then, now the tears wouldn't stop.

Never had she felt so violated before, but now in his arms, she believed him when he told her when he whispered words of confidence into her ear. She felt safe.

"We will get them, Elena. You have my word."

* * *

**I apologize for any grammatical errors, but I hope you enjoyed! Please review? :)**


End file.
